


Cho & Me

by DigiConjurer



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Xros Wars | Digimon Fusion, Original Work
Genre: Digitalverse - Alternate Universe, F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-07-18
Packaged: 2019-10-06 17:29:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 95
Words: 202,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17349503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DigiConjurer/pseuds/DigiConjurer
Summary: Let us end much in the way that we began. With a story of two girls.





	1. A match made out of heaven

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

In Airu Suzaki's eyes, there was no such things as monsters. Digital, magical or otherwise.

In her own little world, those beings could be someone's best friend, possibly even lovers. Of course, the trapper was currently focused on other things at the moment.

"What do you think, Cure Heart?" she inquired to the doll at her feet, placing it in her lap. "Do you think Mirai and Riko will get to stay together as a couple?"

The doll doesn't respond, but that was to be expected. It was a doll after all. It would be odd and creepy if it were to do such a thing. But I guess it would be kind of cool if it could.

She let her focus turn to her laptop, which was currently showing a pair of girls (the titular Mirai and Riko) at the beach. Of course, one of the villains (probably the bat this time) would come upon them in search of a magical stone in the hope of it being an emerald. Then it turn out to be not and the main heroes would save the day through the power of their 'totally-not-love' for each other.

But before Airu could get to see this predestined outcome, the doorbell rang and was followed by a shriek of pain.

"Airu Suzaki, how many times have I told you to not leave your jacks out!" a voice called out, not at all happy with our hero. "Now come pick them up!"  
"Yes mom." Airu shouted back and closed her laptop, quickly scrambling her way over to the entrance. But not before setting her Cure Heart figurine down where it wouldn't be crunched. While she could easily replace if such a thing were to happen, that one wouldn't have the same sort of memories this one had.

There, a woman in what looked to be her mid thirties stood, mumbling curses towards the pink jacks laying on the floor. For today, she had gone with black blouse with a white undershirt and a black pencil skirt. A pair of pumps comfortably held her feet in, while a scrunchie held her long flowing black hair in a bit of a ponytail. Of course, Airu was more focused on actually scooping her jacks up than her mother's appearance.

"At least I know they work."

"What was that, honey?" Mrs Suzaki inquired and picked some jacks up, dropping it into her daughter's hands. But all that got her was a nod.

"Oh, nothing." Airu answered as she slipped her jacks into her hidden skirt pocket. Her attention then turned to the door, which she pulled open to reveal a girl. "Uh, can I help you?"

The girl in question was dressed in rags, her skin almost translucent and wrinkled. The head seemed to hang sideways with visible handprints on the neck. Everything on her was quite damp and she seemed to shiver a little. What did remain of her black hair seemed Even then Airu could quite easily see that there was no sign of one.

"Airu Suzaki, you have been chosen." the girl announced and grabbed hold of Airu's hand. While the teenager made an attempt of breaking free, a slight tap from her mother brought an end to that.

"That's nice." her mom answered and walked off, letting go of her daughter in the process. She was probably going off to maybe get ready to work, doing something that she preferred to only talk to Airu's father about.

"For what exactly?" Airu inquired and observed her guest, who now looked ready to burst into tears. "What's wrong?"

"I didn't want any of this!" the girl announced as the tears began to fall down. "I just wanted to be at my partner's side in the afterlife. But no, I'm just a fucking pinata for these… voices to beat on."

Maybe it was a gut reaction or perhaps just a moment of putting one's heart before their head, but Airu wrapped her arms around the girl's body. But not too tightly.

"Thank you."

Airu gave a nod and let her arms fall to her side.

"It's nothing." she whispered and watched the girl's composure shift as a smile formed on her face.

"As I was saying, you have been by the great and powerful sl- I mean the entity Homeostasis." the girl remarked, getting a confused glance in return. "She's a creepy-looking ball of light that scouts people through their windows. If you're a brunette, she might possess you and do some questionable things."

But that did not ring any bells in the mind of Airu Suzaki. If anything, it brought forth a variety of questions within the teenager's head. For one, why would such a woman not come herself? Or why peek through people's windows when there were a ton of other better ways? Stuff like that.

"I asked her those same questions." the girl explained and let out a deep breath. "She said that was the most efficient and least invasive method for peons such as you and me."

The girl got a mixture of confusion and silence, which seemed to result in even more shivers. Not that was the intention, just the outcome.

"If it helps, I don't really get it either." she continued and began to dig through her seemingly nonexistent pockets, bringing forth a pink smartphone. "Think of this not as an early birthday present, but as the key to a brand new journey in life. A future that can only happen now."

"Okay…" Airu thought and took a deep breath, using that time to debate her answer. "This seems a little too good to be true, but…"

She wasn't sure why, but something about seemed right. It was as if all her life was leading up to this moment and now was the only time for her to seize it.

"I accept your gift."

Her answer seemed to catch the girl by surprise, who was probably expecting to have to push a bit to get her customer to accept.

"Are you sure? By accepting this gift, there is no turning back." the girl explained, watching for any signs of Airu changing her mind. But a nod was all she got. "Welcome to the Hunt, Airu Suzaki."

She casually placed the device in Airu's hand.

"Your first task is to hunt down a suitable partner. I wish you the best of luck."

This was the girl's cue to leave, but not before Airu got another hug in.

"Thank you!" Airu called out and watched the visitor fade away. After closing the front door, the teenager made her way back towards her spot. "Now, let's see what we have."

She carefully swiped a finger around the edge of the smartphone, searching for a button or charging port. But the device didn't seem to have much in the way of either. It did have a proper headphone jack, so it had that going for it. The next area she checked was the touch screen, feeling it all up for a potential secret pressure point. But after finding nothing on that front, she went to the natural conclusion of this: Shouting random phrases at it. Second only to slapping it, voice commands were naturally an option.

"Wait." she thought and turned her attention back to the screen. "L…"

Very carefully, she slid an 'L-shape' across the screen.

"O…"

Next was an 'O-shape'.

"V…"

I feel like you get the picture. But you probably don't get what's being referenced.

"E!"

This was the magical combination that brought the phone to life.

"Phew." Airu remarked and let her gaze hang on the screen.

_Thank you for activating this digivice. All future activations now require that you hold your finger down on the screen. Have a nice day ;)_

As tempting as it would be to just throw the phone into a wall, Airu took a deep breath and tapped the screen. The message disappeared, revealing a row of apps along with the usual functions of such a device: texting, calling and an arrow to show the other installed apps. But at the moment, one app in particular was attempting to get her attention. Compared to the other apps, it had an oval-shaped device with a glass screen. Cautiously, she gave it a tap and watched the image shift, becoming a map screen of sorts. She was represented by a pink arrow, with a bunch of colored circle representing something else.

"Okay…" Airu thought, staring over the map as best as she could. But before she had a chance to decipher it, a scream pierced through the relative silence.

"Airu Suzaki! How many times have I told you to not set that net up to catch your brother?" her mother announced and Airu let out a sigh. She made her way of the living room and towards the stairs, phone and toys in hand.

"This wouldn't be so bad if you found yourself a boy, heck even a girl for that matter."

Airu let out a groan, her mother's words falling on deaf ears. It wasn't that idea of love was not in Airu's mind at the moment, the teenage girl wasn't quite sure where she stood at the moment. Boys didn't seem to catch her interest, but girls? Girls were the biggest deal to her. Especially magical girls. But right now, her focus was on other things.

"Hiroshi…" she muttered to herself as she took the steps up, two at a time. At the top, she charged towards her room. "This better be go-"

The door to her room was closed, the intruder having managed to trap themselves in. Carefully, Airu pushed the door open.

"Hiro-" the hunter started, only to stop herself mid-sentence.

The room in question was what one imagined when they thought 'girl's room'. Pastel pink walls surrounded any who dared to enter, with a hot pink carpet serving as a cover over the supposedly dreadful hardwood. A canopy bed with light pink sheets sat against the back wall Shelves filled with precure dolls and digimon figurines hugged the back wall, with a bookcase situated underneath. Of course, since there was someone younger than her running around, they had a tendency to get themselves inside here. So she had set something up. Just a simple net trap, set to engulf the target if they walked in a certain spot. But instead of finding the intended target, she instead found a girl within her net. "Uh… Who are you?"

"Hi there!" the girl announced, closing her eyes and cracking a smile. "I'm Cho Hakkaimon."

Airu took her in, feeling her heart beat slightly faster. The person looked to be around her age, with dark green hair and a pair of orange pupils. A set of pink armor designed to look like large pig mascot laid in a heap, possibly so the person inside didn't make as much noise. Especially since they seemed to have somehow passed through her open window with little harm. Of course, she closed it for obvious safety reasons.

"Uh… thanks?" Airu remarked and made her way over to the net, depositing the Cure Heart doll on the bed. She would've preferred to leave her with the other cure dolls (getting worshiped by her 'totally secret' lesbian harem), but this unknown intruder was her made focus. "At the very least, could you tell me why you're in my room and stuff?"

The intruder let out a sigh, letting silence be their answer. But as Airu made her way over, Cho Hakkaimon seemed to perk up.

"I got flung off a building." Cho Hakkaimon remarked and took a deep breath. "Stupid Ophanimon. All I asked for was forgiveness for eating my cookie a couple seconds too early. But no! That bimbo decides that she had enough with me and just flings me away!"

Her attention turned to Airu, who had been caught off-guard to her intruder's little rant.

"Oh sorry. That was quite rude of me." Cho Hakkaimon added, watching Airu cut the rope down. "What's your name, sugar~"

Airu took a deep breath, doing her best to ignore her own heartbeat at the moment.

"Airu Suzaki." she answered and pulled the net down, trying to police it up as best she could. "Since you mentioned Ophanimon, I'm guessing you're a digimon then?"

This time, it was Cho Hakkaimon who got caught by surprise. But, she cracked a smile.

"If I had a gold star, I would give it you, sugar." Cho Hakkaimon remarked, making an attempt to sound as suave and sexy as possible. "Since you've captured me, I'm guessing that makes me your partner."

Airu's phone then activated, floating out of her hands and into the air. The screen flashed white and shifted to be visible for both girls. Which I guess was nice of it? Wait, does that mean that

_Registration Complete!_

The device then dropped to the floor, forcing Airu lean down and scoop it up.

"Uh…" the newly christened hunter remarked and watched her partner get dressed. While it wasn't

"Think of this like a date, sugar." Cho Hakkaimon remarked and cautiously approached Airu. "At first, we'll be strangers to each other, learning little by little. But as we get to know each other, the bond between us will blossom into something... far greater and beautiful."

As her partner said that, Airu's heartbeat seemed to become audible to both girls.

"I guess I could give it a shot…" she whispered, letting a reluctant smile form on her face. "After all, what do I have to lose?"

* * *

Notes:

Well, this has been a long time coming. After going into what probably seemed to you guys like hiding post the end of Digital Adventures Online, I have returned with a new fic. While nowhere as long as DAO, it's in that general area.


	2. Airu be nimble, Airu be quick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Funny how a name can change how you look at someone

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

"So let me get this straight," Airu's mom remarked. "You got drop kicked off a building and are now my daughter's partner?"

At the moment, the trio were currently sitting at the Suzaki's dining table. Cho Hakkaimon had taken off her helmet, mostly so she didn't look so threatening. Her rake had been appeared from nowhere, getting casually placed on a nearby chair. Which compared to the rest of the room, could only be matched by the mask hanging on the wall. It had been modeled off of a beast of sorts, with a long nose, matching ears and large fangs. For as long as Airu had lived in the house, it just hung there in silence. When she had asked about it, her mom would just deflect and change the subject. But now, something about it seemed different. Maybe it was sudden turn of events or the general change of mood in the house. Whatever it was though, was not the main focus for our heroine though. No, that was currently on Cho Hakkaimon.

"Yep!" Cho Hakkaimon answered. "If you're fine with that, Mrs Suzaki?"

Airu's mom cracked a smile, letting her focus shift over to Cho Hakkaimon.

"One question."

"Shoot."

"Who was it that kicked you?"

The question seemed to catch Airu off guard, but chose to keep her attention on her mother.

"An Ophanimon."

For a brief second, a small smile formed on Mrs Suzaki's face. Her face then turned to Airu, who was still trying to decipher what exactly on her mother's mind at the moment. And failing quite miserably I might add.

"It's your call." she remarked as Airu's face glowed a nice shade of bright red. "I'll support you either way."

Oh. You're one of those people then. I'll have to remember that.

Yet, the hunter took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"Yeah, she's my partner." Airu finally answered, getting a bit of a clap from Cho Hakkaimon.

"Wonderful!"

Mrs Suzaki's reaction caught the duo by surprise, but it was a welcome one.

"For the moment, Cho Hakkaimon can sleep with you." Airu's mom continued and looked the two over. "Just no funny business~"

"I would never do that little old Sugar here~" Cho Hakkaimon remarked as cracked a sexy sort of smile. The sort you expect out a cat. "She needs to be cute as can be before that."

Airu's face glowed an even brighter shade of red now.

"Mom!" she shouted, getting laughter in return. "Don't joke like that!"

Miss Suzaki stopped laughing and took a deep breath,

"When my husband gets back, I'll have him start work on a proper bed for you."

Cho Hakkaimon gave a nod and slipped her helmet on, turning her attention to Airu

"Let's take a trip." she announced, grabbing hold of her partner's hand.

"Where?"

"Around town." Cho Hakkaimon explained as the two made their way outside. Compared to the relative closeness of the Suzaki's home, the surrounding areas possibly seemed big and scary. "Maybe you'll get your first proper hunt in, Sugar."

Airu took a deep breath, letting her attention drift all over. While her feelings over Cho Hakkaimon's advances were conflicting at best, that could be dealt with down the road But for now, she would just have to humor this girl and play along.

"What if I do like her?" she thought, her gaze focusing out in the distance. "What if I do like her…"

Airu shook her head, but Cho Hakkaimon seemed to notice.

"If it helps, Sugar." her partner remarked, "I will always be there for you. So when those others break your heart into a million pieces, come running back to me~"

She got a slap to the helmet for that remark.

"If you want to date me, you can't shout stuff like that!" Airu remarked and took a deep breath. "I just met you less than hour ago. We need to give it some time."

"You're right." Cho Hakkaimon remarked, following it up with a nod. "I pushed too fast, didn't I?"

"A little bit."

Another nod, but this quickly shifted to a second set of eyes observing the surrounding neighborhood.

"I think I see it." Airu whispered and waved her hand up and down. "Oh right. How good are you with hand signals?"

Cho Hakkaimon shook her head.

"Hmm…"

Airu turned around, focusing in on her partner.

"This means stay here."

She moved a hand up and down a couple times.

"Got it." Cho Hakkaimon remarked. "Anything else?"

Airu gave a nod, only to follow it up by blowing a kiss.

"What does that mean?"

"I need to get over to you." Airu answered. "Only use that one if things go really wrong."

Cho Hakkaimon gave a nod and watched her partner run back inside. Inside, she made her way through the kitchen and into the garage. Compared to a lot of the other rooms in the Suzaki's home, the garage was an absolute mess. Boards, ropes and all sorts of other miscellaneous stuff had been left piled up all around. Somehow, a car had been parked within it all. Whether it could actually get out was a mystery in its own right. Though if one squinted closely, you could make out what looked to be corsets and dresses for the male body. But it's probably nothing.

"Let's see…" Airu thought and began digging through the piles, carefully pulling out some net, rope and a tripwire.

**Lava Loogie!**

"Crap."

Airu grabbed her goods and opened the garage, running in place at the edge of the room. When the door finally opened wide enough, she dashed on through.

Outside, Cho Hakkaimon was blowing kisses while a large candle bounced around, launching forth

"I'm sorry about that." Airu announced as she reached her partner. "I should taught you better."

Cho Hakkaimon shook her head.

"It's alright, Sugar." Cho Hakkaimon remarked and pulled the hunter in. "We'll get it hammered out eventually."

Airu gave a nod, letting her gaze focus in on the candle.

"Get away from my partner." she snarled and charged towards her opponent, flinging the net to the best of her abilities. It was a solid hit, actually managing to knock the candle to ground. But it didn't stop the target from rolling. "Crap."

"Ha ha!" their opponent announced and burned the net away. Then he stuck his tongue out. "You're never going to get me!"

Cho Hakkaimon

"Do you think you can hold on?" Cho Hakkaimon remarked and turned to Airu.

"I think so." Airu whispered, watching her partner come over. Once there, she was carefully grabbed and set on the armored ultimate's back. Then it was just a matter of Cho Hakkaimon bending down to grab her rake and get into a runner position. Whatever that meant.

**Dadada Minchi (Strike, Strike, Strike Mince)!**

Cho Hakkaimon shot off, quickly catching up with their opponent with little effort. What followed, was a series of quick swings and strikes.

"How about that?!" she announced as her rake slammed down, creating a nice little hole to trap the candle in. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Airu jumped down, pulling her smartphone out in the approached, making sure to pull the net away.

"Wait…" the candle remarked and looked Airu over. "You're the daughter of Amanozako…"

His whole demeanor seemed to change after saying that, as if he had realized just how deep it was in.

"I'm Candlemon." the candle digimon greeted. "What may I do to get back into your good graces?"

The remark caught both of them by surprise, especially in the case of Airu.

"Uh…" the trapper started and took a deep breath. "Outside of throwing explosive fireballs, what else can you do?"

"I can create paralysis-inducing wax." Candlemon remarked. "That's pretty much it."

"That works."

Cho Hakkaimon gave her partner a quick glare.

"You're a different story, Cho."

"Cho?" Cho Hakkaimon remarked and let her gaze stare off into space. While sure, she had given Airu a nickname. But that was more out of affection. Could this be a gesture of similar nature? Quite possibly. Or it could be that the one writing this is tired of having a weird to pronounce name and just wanted something easier. But I highly doubt that. "I'll take it."

She gave a nod and carefully picked Candlemon up in a such way that the candle couldn't possibly paralyze her. That would just suck. Though, she did a catch a glimpse of what looked too be an armored vehicle of some sort. But it was probably nothing.

"I just need to run this by my mom, okay?" Airu added as they made their way inside, making this Airu's third time doing so in the last couple minutes. "Mom?"

"Yes honey?" Miss Suzaki greeted, her gaze focusing immediately on the large candle in Cho's arms. "Just set him in the back and make sure to wear gloves when handling his wax."

Both girls shot the woman a glance, unsure of how she even knew in the first place. Had they been too loud outside, perhaps? Or was it some other factor outside of their general control?

But for the moment, they decided to let it slide. Something about this seemed to tell that this would be for the best right now.

* * *

Notes:

Amazoneko is an ancient Japanese deity believed to have come into being after Susanoo let his own ferocious spirit build within him and then spitted it up. Yeah.


	3. Oh Brother

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

"Will this work for you?"

Candlemon looked over his new 'abode'.

While a shed might not seem like the most glamorous place to find oneself in, it would do for the time. If nothing else, he could set up shop and maybe ped-

"Don't even think about it." Airu remarked and shot him a glare. While the idea of the candle bringing in some extra income sounded great, there wasn't much of a point. So she checked her phone. She had been expecting them to call her in for a bit, but it would seem that they were holding off for the moment. Which was possibly for the best, with all that was going on at the moment. Thankfully, Cho was waiting outside at the moment. If she had been in here, Airu would had to explain to her what she did for a living. And while by no means dangerous or illegal, it sat in the hard to explain region of things. Sort of like Quantum Physics. Unlike Quantum Physics though, the explanation was bound to be a hell of lot more simple. I hope.

"Of course, Miss Airu." Candlemon remarked, watching his newfound master shake her head. "I can drop the 'Miss' part, if you prefer."

"That would be nice." Airu answered as she took one more walk around Candlemon's new home. "Is there anything else I can get you?"

Candlemon shook his head.

"Your mother?" he answered, but got nothing in return. "Don't you want to know too? I've heard all sorts of juicy rumors and gossip from my peers."

That got him a questionable look. Not that the candle had any problems with that. It kind of came with the digital world in the last couple years. Couldn't go five feet without either getting, robbed, murdered or a mix of both. Most of the denizens had hoped things would have calmed down, but they were out of luck.

"Yes." Airu responded. "But I believe that she has good reason to not tell me."

"But doesn't that make you even more curious about it?"

Airu did not answer, choosing instead to pull her phone out and power it on.

"Now how do I do this?" she whispered, her gaze falling to the

"Uh…" Candlemon remarked. "Maybe it's the digivice icon thing?"

In retrospect, that probably should've come to her earlier.

"Thanks."

Candlemon gave his best nod, while the hunter did her best to figure out what the next step in this process was.

"Initiate Registration?"

Somehow that was the magical phrase, which brought up a bright light.

_Registration Complete!_

The light disappeared, only for a new app to come up. At first glance, it looked like the startup page of google docs, but with digimon instead of docs.

"Cool!"

Airu let out a deep breath and made her way outside, finding Cho patiently waiting there.

"How did it go?"

"He's situated." Airu whispered and took a deep breath, letting her gaze fixate on her partner. "Anything that you want to do before lunch?"

Cho cracked a smile as her face seemed to lighten up.

"Maybe play in your room a little bit?" she remarked and watched Airu's face glow a tiny bit. "I'll take that as a yes."

The duo made their way back inside, making this Airu's fourth trip today. Hopefully, the last if you ask me. Of course, life seemed to have other plans in store for them.

"Hey sis!"

Right at the stairs, Airu's brother, Hiroshi, decided that now was a good time to make his appearance. Compared to his sister, he was on the short and slightly meek end of the physical spectrum. Not that it stopped him from going out to play with his much larger friends and risk the odds at getting hurt. For this particular occasion, he had gone for a nice-looking polo and tan pants.

"Is that your girlfriend?"

Airu's face glowed a bright shade of red and she grabbed hold of Cho's hand, pulling her up the stairs and into their room. Once there, the door was closed and they took a seat on the bed.

"First off, who was that kid?"

Airu took a deep breath and shifted her gaze away from Cho.

"That's my brother." Airu whispered, shifting the Cure Heart doll from her spot on the bed and over to her 'lesbian harem'. "That trap you got caught in? That was for him."

"Oh…" Cho answered and took a deep breath. "Sorry about that."

Airu let out a chuckle. She made her way back over to the bed, motioning for her partner to sit down beside her. Cho complied, making sure to deposit her armor on the floor. Airu made a mental note to get a stand of some sort. Especially one large enough to hold whatever armor and/or other stuff she seemed to carry around.

"It's alright. You were a nice sort of sort of surprise." the hunter remarked as she let a smile form on her face. "That I'm fine with. What isn't is when I catch someone trying to grab a plushie or a doll and do questionable things without asking first."

Right on cue, the kid walked on in. You would think he at least knock. But nah, those sorts of things aren't that fun, which means they should just ignore such manners and do whatever you want.

"The answer is no."

"That wasn't even my question." Airu's brother announced. "You could at least introduce her to me."

His sister let out a sigh and let her focus turn to him.

"This is Cho," Airu explained and her partner gave a wave. "She'll be staying with us."

"So she's your girlfriend then?"

Were you even listening? Read the situation, kid! This ain't rocket science!  
"Nope! Not at all!" Airu announced and attempted to push her brother out of her room. "What makes you think that, Hiroshi?!"

The boy rolled his eyes and laughed.

"Then why is that girl holding your hand so tight?"

Airu turned around, finding Cho gripping her hand tightly. A confused expression seemed to hang on the digimon's face, as if she was to judge her for the coming words.

"Because she cares about me." Airu remarked and shot her brother a glare. "If you could kindly leave, that would be nice."

But, Hiroshi wasn't in a listening sort of mood. Instead, he decided that just taking something without one's permission was also a great idea and grabbed a large pink bear. And by large, I mean one of those four foot tall bears that you can only get from a Costco. In the winter months. Or online.

"After him!" Cho shouted, only for Airu to give her a questionable look.

"Shouldn't you put your armor back on?" the hunter asked, pointing to the pile of armor sitting on the floor in a pile.

"Oh right!"

One quick suit-up later, the two were on the hunt. They quickly made their way down the stairs, finding Hiroshi already outside.

"Dang it!" Airu announced, grabbing the supplies from earlier as best she could. "Oh well. Ready to do this?"  
Cho gave a nod and the two headed back outside, again. Personally, I would prefer if they just made up their minds and stayed in one place. But I'm just the person narrating. What do I know?

"Okay…"

Outside, nothing had actually changed, well outside of Cho leaving behind her rocket rake when she went to carry Candlemon inside. So she picked that back up and the two began to observe the area.

"Come out!" Airu shouted.

"Never!"

But before Hiroshi even had a chance to try and make a move, a javelin slammed into the ground. Easily, it could have hit him but it seemed to have been underthrown for some reason.

"Oh Cho Hakkaimon~"

"Crap." Cho whispered and turned her attention to Airu. "Ophanimon is here."

"I'm guessing that's bad?"

She got a nod, which the hunter answered with another deep breath.

"We'll set a trap then." Airu whispered and carefully pulled her jacks out. "Where do you want to set it?"

Cho's gaze did a quick scan of the area, just making out the green armored woman that was Ophanimon. She was slightly smaller than those shown in most media, standing at around the height of an adult woman. Her seafoam green armor seemed to shine in the midday light, complementing her golden wings greatly. Of course, her head was partially covered to hide her eyes, but not her sandy blonde hair for some reason.

Of course, the champion's gaze quickly shifted to the porch area.

"Here." Cho remarked and watched Airu fling a bunch of jacks out. Carefully, she stepped out of the way, just making out the spiky toys on the ground. "What about your brother?"

Airu let out a sigh.

"He probably went in through the back." Airu muttered as she grabbed the tripwire, carefully placing it at the start of the steps. "We can deal with him after lunch."

Cho gave a nod and jumped over the line, letting her gaze focus in on their possible opponent.

"There you are!" Ophanimon screamed and charged towards them, seemingly oblivious to the incoming trap. "I'll get you for that cookie!"  
Offscreen, the author shook his head. It was possible he was having flashbacks to high school, but those passed as quickly as they came.

"Never." Cho countered and pulled her end of the tripwire right as their target reached them.

"Ha. Do you really think that would work?" Ophanimon remarked and attempted to step over, only to get hit in the back by Cho's rake. "You fu-"

Before she had a chance, Mrs Suzaki opened the door.

"Oh, look what the pig dragged in." she remarked and shook her head, watching the once proud angel slide evolve to that of a disgraced whore.

_Retrying Registration..._

A gray smartphone floated out of Airu's mother's pocket and she took a deep breath. A few seconds later, the device revealed the digimon screen again, with a single picture display. Compared to Airu's, a sole image was displayed. Except it was split in two, with one half being represented by Ophanimon, the other Lilithmon.

Compared to their digitalverse brethren, this one had chosen to wear a black dress with a bell-shaped skirt. That seemed to trail all the way down to the floor. It probably didn't help that her make-up looked like it was done by a toddler and the childish-looking headdress hanging in the mega's hair.

_Registration complete!_

Mrs Suzaki let out a sigh, slipping her phone into a pocket.

"Momma, how dare you replace me with her!" Lilithmon announced and charged headfirst towards her partner, slamming quite large hands against Mrs Suzaki's legs.

"Some things never change, do they?" Mrs Suzaki groaned and followed it with a deep breath. After, her attention turned to Airu and Cho.

"Give me a minute, then we'll talk."

* * *

Notes:

In Hunter's canon, Airu does in fact have a brother. He just goes unnamed.

 

 


	4. That's my story

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

It turned out that a 'minute' in the mind of Mrs Suzaki was a far different measure of time than what most people thought of. I guess she had been thinking of a movie minute. You know, the sort where someone says they have a minute left, but then then minutes of real-world time pass and then the minute is finally up.

Which left our 'trio' with some time to kill. And sure, they could have easily made small talk till their target was ready. But Airu had something else in mind.

"Want to watch something?" Airu remarked and watched both Cho and Lilithmon perk up. While the trapper hadn't been expecting that reaction, it was kind of refreshing. Though, I'm fairly certain that Cho would've said yes anyway.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Lilithmon shouted and jumped over to the couch, somehow missing Airu's laptop. "Wait. What are we watching?"

Her two companions made their way around the supposed obstacle and took a seat right after. But not before Airu picked her laptop up and set in a place that wouldn't be smashed by someone jumping on the furniture. Then it was just a matter of grabbing the remote and turning the TV on.

_Keep it going OH YEAH If we break through ALRIGHT!_

At the moment, we find a blue-haired girl singing at a concert hall. She is being encouraged by all her friends. But before the person singing could finish their song, Lilithmon snatched the remote from Airu and turned the TV off.

"We are not watching this crap." the dark angel muttered and shoved the remote in between the couch cushions. "Especially after Maho Girls shit the bed."

Airu let out a deep breath, letting her focus shift right towards their guest.

"I personally like Maho Girls." she countered. "Sure, it's not the best season of precure, the ending ties everything together."

Lilithmon had not expected her opponent to have a counter to her remark. So she went to the next level, storming off somewhere to pout.

"Okay…" Cho remarked and watched her partner sigh. "Something wrong, Sugar?"

Airu focused on her partner.

"I wasn't expecting her to run off over something petty like that." she answered, carefully placing the remote down.

Sure, Maho Girls is by no means the best season of Pretty Cure, it's still far better than Dokidoki. Hands down, what the fuck were they even thinking? Like seriously, if you wanted Aguri to be Cure Ace over Regina, then introduce her in place of her. Or better yet, make Cure Ace Regina. There. Problem solved. Also, the Dokidoki movie was all one bad fever dream on the basis that Mana is somehow straight. Of which we have already established she is not. Any arguments will get a blast of holy.

"Oh." both girls remarked as Airu got up. Cho followed right behind, her attention entirely on her human at the moment. If it hadn't, she might have noticed that Mrs Suzaki was ready to talk. But considering the state they were in at the moment, it was understandable to hold back for now.

"Is something wrong?"

Airu let out a deep breath.

"This is all happening so fast." the hunter remarked as she followed it up with a deep breath. "One moment, I'm just living my normal, average life. The next, you're entering it and I'm part of some hunt."

Cho gave her a pat on the back.

"Well, you're handling it better than most people would, Sugar." Cho remarked and pulled her in for a hug. Airu accepted the gesture. "Let's at least try to mend some fences~"

Airu gave a nod and they headed off to search for Lilithmon. Thankfully, that didn't take them too long. Mostly because the mega had gone for possibly the most obvious hiding spot - the closet. I guess she was searching for something? But what exactly? Sure, Airu's parents don't seem like the most transparent people when it came to their occupations, maybe this is in connection to that? Or may this was something else entirely. I'm not entirely certain.

"Just go away." Lilithmon muttered and shot both of them a look. Not that it would really discourage them. "Can't you see that I'm busy looking for something?!"

Carefully, Airu gazed into the closet. While she had never really used it, that could be chalked up too there almost always being a lock on there. Of course, locks don't mean much in the way of a toxic nail. Especially ones that meant to be put back when the stash needs to be locked back up. Oh well.

"You stick out like sore thumb." Cho whispered and watched Lilithmon get back up, only to kick Airu in the groin. "Don't you dare!"

Lilithmon let out a laugh.

"And you'll do what?" the mega taunted and placed a finger on Cho's lip. "Not only do I outrank you, I'm far more powerful than you. What do you think you can do to me?"

Cho let out a low growl.

"Get your hand away from me." she whispered, carefully straddling Airu's body. If she just careful enough, she could grab her partner and make a break for it. A last resort, one possibly necessary if things went south. "You don't want to take me on."

But Lilithmon just stood there.

"Do you really think that petty threats are going to get your way?" she countered, holding an acid-soaked finger out. "I could just melt you all away. So what if one of you is my partner's daughter. You took her away from me. I might as well take my spot back."

So you have mommy issues then? Wonderful. I guess there's worse things to be having troubles with.

"Why should we?" Airu answered as she was carefully picked up. "You've been an asshole the whole time we've been here. I'm not sure what we did to do deserve this."

Lilithmon didn't answer, instead choosing to melt something or other. Which, caught the attention of Mrs Suzaki. And not in a good way, I might add as she made her way over.

"Corner, now." Airu's mother remarked and watched her partner stamp her foot against the floor. "Is that what big girls do to their little sisters?"

"Yes?" Lilithmon whispered as all color seemed to vanish.

"Since you don't want to behave, there will have to be a punishment."

Lilithmon seemed to freeze up, cornered both physically and mentally.

"Please Mommy! I'll be good." Lilithmon whimpered and got down on her knees. "I promise…"

But Mrs Suzaki shook her head, letting out a sigh as she approached her partner.

"That isn't what big girls do." the mother explained and led Lilithmon to the supposed 'corner' while her daughter and her partner watched on.

"Okay…" Airu whispered as Cho turned towards her.

"Remind me to not get on your mother's bad side, Sugar." Cho answered and got a nod. After, Mrs Suzaki made her return.

"I guess this is as good of a time as any to talk about this." she explained and motioned for the duo to come back over to the kitchen table. "I'll just have give the short version."

"Okay…" both girls remarked, sitting themselves down with little fuss.

"A decade ago, I and a bunch of other people did some 'stuff' to make sure that this world wasn't taken over right after the last big incident.:

"What was the last big incident?"

Mrs Suzaki let out a sigh.

"A giant woman in a weird white costume with seaweed on her head was attempting to speed up the process of digitizing this world and make it collide with the actual digital world. Well, that's according to St Clair at least."

Both Airu and Cho stare towards the woman. Mostly because she was rude enough to spoil the end of Tri, but because that's worse description of Ordinemon I've ever heard.

"I don't get it either." Mrs Suzaki added and got up, pulling the mask off from the wall. "We used these masks in order to keep some level of anonymity from our enemies."

"So does dad know anything about this?" Airu asked and got a laugh in return.

"Back then, we would call him Hephaestus, mostly because he was our main source for materials and other services." Mrs Suzaki remarked and leaned forward. "That was how I met him. His mask is at his 'shop'."

Both Airu and Cho gave her a glance.

"But how does that fit with me getting a digivice today and this whole 'Digimon Hunt'?" Airu remarked, watching Mrs Suzaki's mood seemed to shift almost instantly. Gone was the gentle warmth, getting replaced with a frigid chilliness that neither wanted at this particular moment.

"If I had to take a guess, something big is coming." her mother remarked. "Someone or something that requires not just the old guard, but their successors as well. An event that could decide the very fate of this world no, this entire multiverse."

"So does that mean I was always fated to meet Airu?" Cho responded, only to get a head shake.

"I would say the opposite, actually. It would seem that Candlemon was the original plan. For better or worse"

Airu shot her mother a questionable glance. But no answer seems to come from her.

"If anything, I think you two work far better."

"Thanks?" Cho answered and let her gaze turn towards Airu. While sure, being an unintentional variable in the girl's life was never her intention, it was more fuel to do her best and prove that she was somehow worthy. "Anything else?"

"Just don't do anything stupid that would piss off Homeostasis." Mrs Suzaki added and pulled her smartphone out, turning the device on. "She already has enough to bitch about on her Apptube channel."

On the screen, a brunette was complaining about something. Surprisingly, her views looked to be in the millions. Which is cool, until you realize that there's like three other apptubers in the entire toei 'multiverse'. Oh, and two of them aren't even in the digimon part of that.

"Okay. So what part am I supposed to play?" Airu remarked as her mother returned to normal, only to crack a smile.

"You'll probably find out soon enough."

With that, a timer rang. Not that I remember a timer being set.

"I guess I should go check on Lilithmon," Mrs Suzaki remarked and got up. "At the very least, could you two find Hiroshi?"

The two gave a nod, only for a scream to pierce the air. Their attention turned to the previously unseen sliding glass door, where a strange looking girl seemed to be hanging the large pink bear from earlier on her back.

"Yay! I got Gingko back!" the girl announced, carefully holding what looked a rifle and Hiroshi at the same time. "Thanks kid. I would say I owe you one, but nah..."

Her remark seemed to catch Hiroshi by surprise, with the kid deciding that now was a good time to make a run for it. Which failed quite miserably in this case. And by that, I mean getting nearly grazed by a warning shot. Which could've been fatal.

"Come on, Davis!" a voice announced and the mystery girl complied, hopping the fence and making her way towards someone. All while still keeping

"Okay…" Airu remarked, letting out a deep breath afterward. Her gaze then turned to Cho, was was suiting herself up. "I guess we should go after them."

Almost on cue, Mrs Suzaki and Lilithmon walked back.

"Happy hunting." Airu's mother explained as she watched her daughter grab her net and jacks. "Just like old times."

Her gaze turned to her partner.

"I'm guessing you told her?" Lilithmon mumbled, slide evolving back to Ophanimon.

"Partially." Mrs Suzaki answered and took a deep breath. "As much as I would like to believe Homeostasis has this under her control, I suspect otherwise."

Yet, her partner places a hand on her back.

"Give her a chance."

Mrs Suzaki began to laugh.

"My, what has gotten into you?"

Ophanimon didn't answer, choosing instead to pull her helmet off and stare towards the ground. While sure, she found Mrs Suzaki pretty, it was time to move on. Her eyes were not on her anymore. But maybe, she could change it. Though, it was more of a pipe dream than anything else. Especially in the face of what had replaced her.

"It's nothing…"

* * *

Notes:

Hephaestus is the Greek god of forging.

A good amount of this fic was written before Part 6 of Tri. Sorry about spoiling it for any of you that have been holding off.


	5. Twisted and Tamed

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Airu took a deep breath.

"Do you think you'll be able to hold on?" Cho inquired.

At the moment, Airu was doing the final preparations before getting onto her partner's back. Sure, they could probably pick up the pace in order to at least catch up with their mysterious intruders. But what if the trapper slipped off at some point? Or better yet, got run over by a car? Neither person wanted that.

"Yeah." she answered, slipping the net into a pink backpack. She had grabbed on the way out, which was probably a good idea. All that was left was to get up on Cho's back and hold on. "Want to make this a date of some sort?"

The words seemed to roll out of her mouth, as if that wasn't she had originally had planned to say and was now just winging it. Of course, her partner seemed to notice.

"Oh?" Cho answered and cracked what looked to be a smile. "I thought you were the kind of girl to wait on their prey. Quite nice of you to take the initiative this time, Sugar~"

Airu's face glowed as red as a a tomato.

"I'm fine with either option, Sugar." Cho remarked, feeling Airu's head against her helmet. "But, I'll take that as a 'yes' for now."  
After saying that, she knelt down slightly and shot forth.

The initial burst of speed was unlike anything Airu had experienced before. Sure, she had taken rides on the train before. But that was usually a slow gradual increase of speed. This was a quick burst with little warning. She kind of liked it, much to her own surprise.

"Not quite what you were expecting, was it?" Cho remarked, feeling Airu give a nod. "Normally, I would get a bunch of kids on board and do this. Sure, there were would be a couple who would scream in terror, but most of them were more interested in seeing the scenery around them."

Airu turned her attention to the world around her. Everything was a blur, but you could still make out some of the details. But by the time that you could make some out, you were moving onto the next thing. Not that this was a bad thing. Except for when you needed to change direction.

"Take a right." Airu directed, watching Cho's body shift to match the new direction. "So, do you have a job or anything?"

"No job, but I have graduated from high school."

Airu perked up.

"Cool! Where did you go?"

"LDA."

"Uh…" Airu mumbled.

"Lady Darcmon's Academy." her partner explained. "It's sort of like a public school, but it's directed more towards more 'feminine-looking' digimon. So you see a lot of lady digimon getting it on. Personally, I just baked a whole bunch and kept to myself."

"Oh."

Cho let out a laugh and watched her partner clear her throat.

"Public. I graduated back in March." the trapper explained, shifting her backpack slightly. "Now I'm just looking for actual paid employment."

"Well, you're doing better than me in that regard." Cho answered and squinted out into the distance.

"See anything?"

"Not really, Sugar." the baker remarked and squatted down, nearly dropping her passenger onto the ground. "One would think a girl with a teddy bear on her back would stick out like a sore thumb."

A burst of bullets then passed right over their heads. Either that was to mock them or the person shooting at the moment had terrible aim.

"Crap, I missed."

Of course, that particular person then decided that more burst fire was the solution. In actuality, one could argue that contributed to their currently troubling situation. Not that this particular group would ever admit to such a fact.

Yet, our two heroes seemed to ignore this danger, choosing instead to focus on themselves at the moment. This was still a date after all. A little gunfire just made it more exciting. I think.

"Got any hobbies?" Airu whispered, ducking to avoid

"Baking, except when it gets destroyed by annoying angel digimon."

After saying that, she let out a deep breath.

"I'm guessing that's why you got drop kicked in the first place?" Airu inquired, a reluctant sigh her meager reward.

"Pretty much." Cho answered. "Now, how about you?"

"I like to collect dolls."

"Any doll in particular that you like more than all the others?"

Airu went silent the moment her partner's question rang out. It wasn't that she hadn't put much thought in that sort of question, it was just the reason behind her choice. There were so many that she could pick from. How was she supposed to decide? What if Cho was going to judge her based of whatever she was going to choose.

"Is something wrong, Sugar?"

Thankfully, her partner snapped her out of it. After, the trapper focused on Cho's back.

"Uh… Not at all!" Airu answered, letting out what appeared be a mix of a sigh and a groan. "Not at all…"

Cho shook her head.

"It's alright if you don't want to tell me." the champion explained, watching her partner's expression change. "We just met after all."

"No…"

As tempting as it was to just blow her partner's question off, Airu felt compelled to answer. She couldn't put her finger on what it was or why, she just needed to answer this.

"My Cure Heart doll." Airu remarked. "Something about her always seemed to click with me."

Are you sure that has nothing to do with the lesbian harem that seems to surround her? Because out of any protagonists (second of to maybe Mirai), Mana seems to most likely to be a full-on lesbian with her own team as her wives.

"Sugar, can I ask you a question?" Cho inquired and slowed down her pace, the blur becoming less noticeable.

"Shoot." Airu answered, watching her partner take a deep breath.

"What was that show that Cure Heart came from? Is it the same show that you were trying to show me and Lilithmon earlier?" the baker remarked. While she couldn't notice it, Airu had perked up and seemed ready to go on a long speech.

"The show is called Pretty Cure. Each season except for the first couple revolve around a group of girls fighting against the forces of evil. DokiDoki, the season that Cure Heart comes from has an unintentional slant towards the main character being a girl's girl." Airu explained and Cho stopped. "There was also a movie, but that's noncanon."

Let's not get into the movie. Just for the sake of not making my head hurt and just the whole show vs movie, original plan vs what actually happened sort of thing.

But before either girl had a chance to really react to our narrator's remark, the armored vehicle came into view. Which took the form of a black humvee.

"There they are!"

Of course, it would seem that Hiroshi's kidnapper's had noticed as well. But that's judging by the way their guns were pointing their

"It wouldn't be that fun if we just ran off." one of its passengers announced. "Especially since we still have that prize of yours. Thank you for that, by the way."

A gunshot rang out, followed by the shaking of the car.

"You idiot! What made you think that was a good idea?"

Then silence. I guess they realized that maybe shouting wasn't the solution.

"That better not have been Airu's brother!" Cho screamed and dashed forward. At the armored vehicle, she slammed her rake into it. Which they didn't seem to like.

"No fair!" a voice announced as the girl from earlier popped out. "Uh… Sorry about your brother?"

Airu took a deep breath and jumped off Cho, pulling her jacks out from her skirt pocket. A gaze down the barrel of the rifle her pitiful reward.

"I'm sorry."

For a few brief moments, everything seemed to blur as the color faded away. Airu's eyes seemed ready to close, but she still threw the damn jacks anyway.

By some miracle, the jacks managed to reach their target before the girl managed to fire off her gun. Which boils down to sheer luck. Not that the two girls were going to let such an opportunity to go to waste.

"Let us in." Airu whispered and motioned for Cho to come over. Her partner complied, slamming her rake into the back door and pulled it away. After setting the door carefully onto the ground, they took in those within the vehicle. At first, the passengers seemed normal enough. Sure, there was some midget in a pinstripe suit and what looked to be a copy of Evil TK, but that didn't explain the teenage girl in the driver seat, nor the blob of lime jello.

"For the second time, I am not jello!" the blob remarked and pulled her uzi up towards our heroes. But she left her 'hands' away from the trigger. So I guess she's holding off not killing them? That's nice I guess.

Finishing off the group, was what looked like a cross between a kindergartener's art project and a humanoid digimon. The skin had been painted quite sloppy with a shade of red, while a bird beak had been attached over the creature's mouth. Of course, everyone's attention probably would be focused on the pair of hastily put together bat wings. Not her faded auburn eyes.

"Where's Hiroshi?" Airu remarked as the duo took a step inside.

"I'm right here."

Airu looked down and found her brother laying there. He was thankfully unharmed, but a little shaken. Though that didn't explain who go shot.

"I did." 'TK' remarked, pointing towards his back. "Thankfully, I got an anti-stupid vest."

"Okay…" Airu mumbled and helped her brother up. "We're just going to head off."

"Fine by us." rifle girl cheerfully remarked as her bear somehow picked up the remains of the door. "I got Gingko back, which means we have everyone!"

Both TK and 'midget' gave her a minor death glare. After all, it was by their friend's own stupidity that they were freed and stuff. But it had resulted in some of their partners being scattered away. Not that it seemed to really help here.

"Okay, almost everyone."

"Yeah…" their driver remarked and shot the escaping trio a quick glance. "We're even, okay."

"Capisce!" Airu answered back, doing the required hand motion associated with it. After a groan or two from their opponents, they exited the vehicle. "Cho, do you think you can hold both of us?"

Cho looked over her two potential passengers and gave a nod.

"Though, I'll have to carry you bridal-style." she explained, her gaze focusing on Airu. "If that's alright with you, Sugar."

Airu face blushed a nice shade of red, which got a snicker from Hiroshi.

"What was that about her not being her girlfriend?" the kid joked and got a playful punch from his sister.

"Enough." Airu remarked as she took Cho's rake. "Whether I'm dating her or not is none of your business."

"Really now? It would seem that you are."

Airu's face seemed to grow even redder. How, I'm not even sure.

"Were you even listening, brat?" the trapper shouted, letting her voice raise with each word. "So what if we are. Why does it even matter to you?!"  
After, she took a deep breath and got a pat on the back from Cho.

"It's alright, Sugar." Cho answered, carefully picking her partner up and knelt down. "It's been quite a long day for both of us."

Airu let out a small smile and watched her brother get up on Cho's back.

"You two ready?"

Both of her passengers gave a nod. With that, she began the journey towards home.

* * *

Notes:

In Japan, the school year starts in April and end in March.

 


	6. Seeds of Mahoutsukai

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

"We're home!"

Their entrance from the outside wasn't really that amazing. It was a lowkey event with no fanfare to be seen. Not that really needed one in that moment.

"Where's Lilithmon?" Cho inquired and watched her mom take a deep breath.

"She is off getting drywall from my husband along with your possessions."

"That's nice of her."

Mrs Suzaki shook her head.

"She had to be bribed."

Cho let out a chuckle, only to get a sigh in return.

I'm sometimes forget how much a pain she could be." Mrs Suzaki remarked. "Sure, it's worth it to have her. But does make life a pain."

"Okay…" Airu remarked as she made her way back over to the couch. Cho followed right behind, watching her partner pick the laptop up.

"As I was saying, Precure is a series based around magical girls. Got it?"

Cho gave a nod. Though, I suspect she didn't quite have a complete grasp on what this precure thing really was.

"The rerun of Kira Kira Precure was what we were going to watch but it's over now, so let's watch Mahoutsukai Precure instead."

The trapper sat herself down, with Cho snuggling beside her.

"Dumb question, Sugar. But…" Cho inquired and took a deep breath. "Is this Dokidoki Precure different from Kira Kira and Mahoutsukai Precure?"

Airu shifted her gaze towards her partner.

"How about I show you then?" Airu teased, pressing 'play' at the menu screen. After both the Toei and Toei Animation logos announce their presence, with all the other people that played a part in this.

A soft melody echoes out from the speakers as a shot of cherry blossoms welcomes viewers in. The shot is followed by one of a teddy bear, then of our main character, Mirai. She gets up from her spot, making her way over to the balcony. Her gaze focuses in on the moon, where a ball of something was erratically dancing about and leaving behind a purple trail of light. The girl doesn't know it yet, but this one sight was about to set her life down a path she had never believed possible. The rest of the episode follows Mirai trying to find the thing she saw the night before. That 'thing' turned out to be a girl named Riko. Compared to Mirai with her purple eyes and short golden blonde hair, Riko's magenta eyes and long purple hair tied into a long ponytail seemed almost as a counter. Add in Mirai's perpetual wide-eyed exuberant outlook clashing with her friend's downer tsundere tendencies. But, the two managed to find some sort of common ground. Also, there's a bat creature named 'Batty'. Yeah, the people who name stuff were out for lunch when the villains for this season all got named. He's after some magical green jewel known as the 'Linkle Stone Emerald'. On the off chance that it might be held by our heroines, he went after them. A quick broom ride later, our two heroines managed to reach forth into their souls and bring forth the power of precure and became Cure Miracle and Magical respectively. Then they kicked the bat into the next episode. Well not literally, but you get the idea.

"Is this the only episode?" Cho remarked as the credits rolled on, bringing a large room for the two cures to dance about and sing in. Not that this particular room itself actually appears in the show proper, oh well.

"No." Airu answered and picked up a seemingly discarded dvd case. "On this disk, there should be episodes 1 - 14."

"Good." Cho remarked and took a deep breath. "Can we watch the next episode, Sugar?"

Airu gave a nod, pressing play right after. Though, she did feel her partner getting closer to her.

The next episode brought the duo to a train station, where they boarded a snail train. Think a trailmon, but it's instead a massive snail dressed as a conductor. Even though Japan doesn't have conductors on their trains. But I digress.

There, the two it to a place called the Magical World. Which is lot like Frontier's digital world, but with the population of human thousand times higher than what the amount that ever graced it. Of course, they had to stop at the magic academy. There, Riko was chewed out by her teacher while Mirai met the headmaster, who's bisexual for some reason. She gets her own magic wand, only for Batty to show up again. This time, both girls manage to bring forth the 'Linkle Sticks'. Which are basically just large wands that could function as 'stimulants' for special times.

"No." Airu remarked and took a deep breath. "We are not going there."

I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm just saying that it wouldn't surprise if they tried that in their off time. No, they be too timid and just keep it clean.

Of course, they defeat the monster he created and Mirai is accepted into the Magic Academy.

Cho let out a snicker as her friend focused in on the main characters. Something about the duo seemed to click with her and she began to get a bit antsy.

"We should go as them." the trapper joked. "I still have both linkle sticks and some costume parts."

Her partner perked up after hearing that, getting up from the couch. She then grabbed hold of Airu, pulling her down the hallway and up the stairs. The two probably would've made their way into Airu's room, if the sudden realization of a missing wall hadn't finally come to the duo. I guess I should've been more specific on that front. So yeah, Lilithmon destroyed the wall that closed off the closet from the hall. Which for some reason, had been placed by the door.

"Oh right. Lilithmon." Airu remarked and she took a deep breath. "At the very least, it's just the closet wall."

Carefully, the duo made their way inside. Airu closed the door behind them and dove right into the closet.

"So what are we looking for exactly, Sugar?" Cho inquired and watched her partner head poke up.

"The Linkle sticks, Mofurun, maybe the little hats that Miracle and Magical wear along with anything else that we can make for our costumes."

Cho looked at her partner for a second. While she had some idea what the trapper wanted, it didn't hurt to ask anyway.

"As in the plush?"

"Yeah."

Cho made her way to the right of her partner, kneeling down beside her. While Airu's room was mostly clean, Lilithmon had decided that being a total brat and messing up someone else's stuff was a great idea. Which it wasn't. Though, this did give her a chance at looking through the trapper's stuff. More specifically, what sorts of clothes she liked to wear.

At first, it just seemed to be a bunch of pink tops and skirts. But as she got further in, more colors entered the fray, followed by dresses and pants. Not that the latter seemed to be worn often. To some extent, she kinda wanted to try some of the stuff on. Maybe later? Yeah, that sounded nice.

But then her eye caught something.

"I found something!"

Airu perked up and leaned towards her partner, who managed to pull out a light brown teddy bear.

"Yay!" the trapper announced as she was handed the plush. "He'll probably need a wash, but it shouldn't be that bad."

Cho cracked a smile and watched Airu set it aside. Her gaze then focused on a loose pile of clothes that just laid there.

"Would you mind?

Airu shook her head and Cho made her way around the bed. The next minutes or two involved Airu helping her slightly shorter partner get out of her leotard and armor for what seemed like an umpteenth time. I feel they made need a better solution here. But I'll let these two figure that out themselves.

When the two finally did get up from behind the bed, Cho was now dressed in a tye-dye t-shirt with a pair of jeans. Airu on the other hand, had decided to stay with her old outfit. I guess that's alright for the moment.

"Feel better?" the trapper inquired and watched Cho look the outfit over one more time. After, she gave a thumbs up.

"Yeah." her partner answered back as they made their way back towards the closet. Once there, they tidied up anything that could be grabbed by Hiroshi and went through what remained. Sure, there was a chance at them not finding the linkle sticks. But that was half the fun. "Is this it?"

She pulled a pair of pink and white rods out. One was topped with a crystal heart, the other with a crystal star. A gold insert with a large fake diamond sat in the middle of both, awaiting use in the fight against evil. Or at the very least, any make-believe fight against imaginary forces.

Cho handed them over, watching Airu set the rods down with Mofurun.

"It's a start." Airu explained as the doorbell rang. "Coming!"

Both girls scrambled out of the room and down the stairs, pulling the door open when they got there. Of course, instead of finding a man in his late thirties, they found themselves facing down a Jesmon of all things. You know, that weird dragon digimon thing made out of swords? Yeah, him.

"Airu, it's been a long time!" the digimon announced and carefully maneuvered his arms inside to give the trapper a hug. "Do you think you could help me get your father? He's currently getting beaten up by a large bush."


	7. Words of a Jester

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Out of all the people that could have walked through that door, Airu was not expecting to see a Jesmon of all things. Her father? Maybe. Hiroshi? It could've been. But this wasn't what she was expecting at all. Let alone this digimon already knowing her name.

"Howdy." Jesmon announced as both girls looked him over. Nothing had actually changed from the description of him last time, it was more to make sure this digimon was for real and not some prank pulled by Hiroshi.

"Sugar?" Cho remarked as her partner's attention turned towards her.

"Yes?" Airu answered and took a deep breath, trying to remember where exactly that such a meeting could've happened. "If I did know this guy, it was a long time ago."

Jesmon let out a sigh.

"Oh right." he remarked and let out a deep breath. "You're parents had me do my thing ten years ago. That's probably it."

Both Airu and Cho shot him a glance.

"Your thing?" Airu answered back. "You mean drone on about philosophical matters and maybe slash someone?"

Jesmon mumbled something under his breath and slammed his fist against the floor. Following that, his attention returned to the pair.

"That one was a useless runt." the royal knight remarked, following it up with another deep breath. "I have the power to perform actions that neither Yggdrasil or Homeostasis are capable of."

Cho shot him a cautious glance.

"And what does this have to do with Airu?" Cho asked.

"Well…" Jesmon started. "They had me tamper with her memories."

Silence fell over both girls. Airu gaze fell over her partner, unsure of what to really make of all this. On one hand, she had never really noticed any memories out of place or found it odd that some massive event happened over a decade ago. Sure, she would have only been eight at the time. What could've been the worse possibility.

"Let's see…" Jesmon continued and held a hand out. "According to Agni, you somehow managed to find a 'puppy' and were getting a ride from it. Never did say how big of a puppy it was."

Cho made a quick glance towards him.

"Anything else that could help me get to know Sugar here a little better?" Cho remarked, giving Jesmon a subtle wink. Okay. Subtle might be the wrong word here, but I think you get the idea.

"There was this one time that she met an opossum-"

Airu shot him a glance, preventing him from continuing his story.

"Can you at least restore my memories then?" Airu inquired, only to receive a sigh from Jesmon. Which is probably the worst possible answer to give someone you robbed the memory of. Just saying. "I'll take that as a 'no' then."

After saying that, she took a deep breath.

"Are you going to help me with that bush or not?" Jesmon countered and got two nods. "Good."

With that, they made their way outside. This would mark the sixth time that Airu has gone outside. Personally, I envy her. It's nice where I'm at and everyone is getting out and enjoying it. I was hoping to get out with my girlfriend and maybe take a trip to the beach. If anything, it would give those she been entrusted the care somewhere that isn't these four walls. But that can happen later, I guess.

True to Jesmon's words, a bush had taken root right at the edge of the Suzaki's driveway. At first glance, it would appear that there was nothing out of the ordinary. Except for the fact that the Suzaki's had chosen to not really plant anything in their front yard. Secondly, I doubt such tree exists that produces both oranges and blueberries. Even if one did exist, I doubt that both fruits would be ready at the same time.

Of course, what appeared to be Mr Suzaki was current being shaken by the bush's middle section. Compared to his wife, he had gone for a faded t-shirt with torn jeans and steel-toed boots. Though, that didn't explain the very light coat of makeup that still hung to his face.

A sheet of drywall along with a couple bags had been propped against the garage, with Lilithmon just standing beside it. She didn't look too happy. Which, fair enough?

"Are you going to help too, Lilli~" Jesmon joked, only to get a kick to the groan from the mega. "Remember, just as much as I give, I can take away too."

This seemed to piss Lilithmon, bringing forth the angel from within her. Who also wasn't in a good mood as well.

"Don't even try it." Ophanimon snarled and brought forth her lance. She pointed it towards the royal knight, muttering something about smashing a bug.

"Aww! Lilithmon can be good." the bush announced and cracked a smile. "Jestery expected that you just would revert back like the pathetic brat Lilithmon is."

Offscreen, the narrator took a deep breath.

"Wait a minute, you're not the author!" Jestery continued, flinging Mr Suzaki onto the pavement. "Jestery feels scammed!"

Why?

"Jestery was under the impression that this was supposed to be a spin-off, which meant that he was the one narrating!"

Well, things change. I would think you of all people would understand that.

Ophanimon made a quick glance towards Jesmon, who gave her a shrug in return.

"Fine then." the angel remarked and took a deep breath.

**Eden's Javelin!**

Ophanimon then charged forth, smashing her spear into Jestery. Sure, it made the jester drop her hostage, but outside of that. Not much.

"That tickles. Do it again, Ophanimon!"

But her opponent didn't, choosing instead to mutter some things under their helmeted breath.

"For an angel, Ophanimon sure leave a lot to be desired." Jestery joked and pulled out what appeared to be a fusion of a child's art project and a butterfly sword. "I thought you guys were supposed to be the best out of the many realms. Fuck, even Jestery's own children were stronger than you people."

Almost on cue, Mrs Suzaki decided to join them.

"Oh my. Jestery didn't expect the supposed queen of monsters to show her face. Especially not without a girl between her hips." the jester added, only for her focus to shift to Airu. "My, you're an interesting one."

After saying that, Jestery pulled herself out from her disguise. Why she didn't do that in the first place is beyond me. "I guess little miss drowned is good for some things while punished."

Her response caught both parties by surprise, especially when they watched Jestery pull out a large jar. Within, one could just make out out a little brunette and Yggdrasil true's form - which looked like a weird crystal structure in the shape of a human.

"Let us out!" the tiny brunette announced and began to bang against the glass. "How dare you overthrow me for no particular reason!"

"You're one to talk." Yggdrasil remarked, not even taking the time to turn to face its counterpart. "How many times have you had me exiled because you're unwilling to mend fences."

"Riddle me this, batman. What about that time I took a vacation and you managed to get your ass kicked by some guy, lose your memories and force me to create a lineage of magical girls to combat it?"

"Wait, what?" Airu remarked and made her way towards the jar. "You aren't talking about Precure, by any chance?"

Homeostasis let out a laugh.

"Exactly."

Her answer seemed to catch the trapper by surprise, especially after what she and Cho were doing in the previous chapter. But after a few seconds, she seemed content with it.

"I was kind of expecting that to have a bigger effect on you."

"Why? Having Precure and Digimon in the same world sounds awesome!" Airu shouted as Cho approached her. "What do you think, Cho?"

Cho let out a sigh, followed by a shrug.

"I'm fine with it, Sugar." she remarked and knelt down, looking down towards Homeostasis. "Though, that doesn't explain how you ended up in a jar."

Homeostasis froze up as Yggdrasil began giggling.  
"Do you want me to tell them?" the disgraced deity joked and was tackled to the floor. What followed was a full-on catfight between the two deities. A surprisingly boring catfight. At least try to bring out some love or not.

"Silence, bitch!" Homeostasis announced as she began beating . "You've said enough."

Jestery let out a sigh and shook the jar, forcing both to stop. Then, her attention returned to the trapper.

"How may I help you?" Airu answered, getting a chuckle in return

"I wish you two the best of luck." Jestery remarked and put her blades away. "Maybe, you'll be able to make a better life than most of the people here."

The jester walked away. But not before Airu ran after her.

"What are you even talking about?!" she screamed,

Jestery took a deep breath and turned around, exhaling in the process.

"Love is a funny thing." the jester muttered, slipping her jar into her body (somehow). "Treat it poorly, let it become damaged, the spark burns out. But treat it well, nurture it, let it grow, and you'll have a bond that not even time can break."

And with that, she teleported away in a cloud of glitter.

"Okay…" Cho remarked as her attention turned to Airu. "You alright, Sugar?"

Airu gave her girlfriend a nod and walked over.

"Yeah."

* * *

Notes:

Agni is the Hindu Deity of Fire, usually associated with leaders/guides.

Blueberries are ready to pick around late July to mid August. Oranges vary, but usually are ready around November to June. So in other words, Jestery stuck out like a sore thumb.


	8. Along came a spider

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

A few minutes had passed since Jestery's sudden visit.

In that time, both of Airu's parents had decided that this was a good time to make some phone calls. To who exactly is beyond me. Not that I would really need to know.

Upstairs, Jesmon had begun work on repairing Airu's wall, with Ophanimon there for 'emotional support'. And by that, I meaning complaining about everything under the sun. That just left Airu and Cho, who were in the process of lifting Cho's bags into the vicinity of the trapper's room. Of course, Hiroshi was there as well. I guess he didn't have anything better to do? Yeah, that sounded right. He probably had some form of homework that needed to be done.

"Oh, hi guys." Hiroshi remarked, only for his gaze to zero in on Jesmon and Ophanimon. "Uh… who's that?"

"Howdy." Jesmon remarked as he began to do his 'magic', moving the piece of drywall into place with little fuss. It was quite impressive, except to Hiroshi. No, he had gone to his room grab one of his action figures. When he came back, what looked like a magical girl figure. A white tutu clung to its body, with a pair of yellow pumps on the feet. A pair of long pink twintails were enhanced with a pair of yellow eyes. It seemed like a prized possession.

"Does she have a name?" Cho inquired and carefully approached

only for Hiroshi to shake his head.

"Why would she even need a name?" the boy remarked, trying his best to come out with some sort of out, maybe even leave the situation. "It's not like any of my other dolls have names…"

His gaze shifted towards the carpet, only for his sister to walk over.

"It's alright. Neither Cho or I will laugh. Right, Cho?" Airu explained and turned her attention to Cho.

"Of course." the baker answered, watching Airu carefully wrap her arms around her brother. Hiroshi reluctantly accepted the gesture. After, his attention turned to Jesmon.

"So I'm guessing you're my dad's partner then?" Hiroshi added, only to get a glare from Ophanimon. "What?"

The angel digimon

"Did you think we were just two random drifters who just popped on in with little reason?" the angelic woman screamed and took a step towards the much smaller boy. "You gave mommy quite big worries running off like you did. I should have smited you, you ungrateful piece of garbage."

Her comment seemed to catch Hiroshi off guard, with the child breaking down into tears. He ran into his room, which looked like an absolute mess. Action figures looked to be scattered across the floor. But if you squinted, you could make out a tiara with a bunch of hello kitty stickers. I wonder what that's about. Though, I doubt he will be transparent about it. No, I'll have to go the more subtle route on this. But that's something for another time.

Of course, our heroes attention was now on the aggressor of this situation. Who was still not in a good moment. What a surprise.

"Can I ask you something?" Cho inquired, watching Ophanimon groan and then focus in on her.

"Shoot."

"Is Ophanimon or Lilithmon your default form? Or do you not have one?"

For some reason, this was enough to reduce the confident angel into a less than confident demon. Which makes no sense, but you know.

"I guess that answers that." Cho remarked and let her attention turn to Airu. "Your turn."

"Okay…" Airu remarked and turned her attention to Lilithmon. "So riddle me this, why do you refer to my mother as 'mommy'?"

The words rolled right out off the trapper's mouth and the other end of the conversation scurried down the stairs and out the door.

"Crap." Airu continued and made a quick glance towards Cho, who was currently behind Airu's bed. She was probably putting her armor on. Or at the very least, attempting too. "Can I have a minute?"

"Go on ahead." Jesmon remarked and made his way over to Hiroshi's door. "May I come in?"

"Sure…" Hiroshi whispered back, letting the blade knight digimon thing in as Airu and Cho made their exit. Now, Cho was dressed in her swimsuit and armor. "Best of luck, sis!"

"Of course." Airu answered and Cho took the steps down, two at at a time. Once there, the trapper grabbed her net and made a beeline towards the back. This would mark her seventh trip outside, making one possibly wonder why she even went inside at all. If anything, she could probably serve to set up a little shack outside to reduce all the hassle. Except for the times she needed to bathe. There's nothing worse than a bath taken outside. And no, hot springs don't count. That stuff is better inside than out. No question.

But the topic of bathing was not on either girl's mind at the moment. No, they were focused on getting to bottom of what was going on with Lilithmon. Which meant getting packed

"Cho, do you think you can help with something?" Airu remarked and whispered something to her girlfriend. She got a nod in return, taking that as her chance to go to the back and approach the shed. "Candlemon, I need some of your wax."

Candlemon managed to pull the door of the shed open and looked her over.

"What's it worth to you?" the candle digimon remarked, only to find himself facing down Cho's rake. Who decided to follow her girlfriend along. Just in case. "Fine. Just give me a sec."

A minute or two later, Candlemon came through with the goods. Which to put simply, was quite gross.

"Thank you." Airu added as Cho gingerly picked the net up. "Now where could Lilithmon be?"

She took a deep breath, only for her gaze to focus in on a loose bear trap laying out in the ground. While she didn't quite remember putting it down, it could serve some use for the duo. A quick yet careful disarming later, the trapper had an additional piece to her arsenal. Didn't quite explain why it had been painted a creamish pink color with a little kitty face on the part that held the two sides open.

"I'm not sure how effective it'll be against someone like Lilithmon." Cho remarked as they made their way around to the front yard, bear trap in hand.

"Depends on where we place it." Airu answered back. "If it's in a place where it blends in, she'll probably walk through without a second thought. If it's out in the open, she probably won't walk over it."

Cho gave a nod.

"True."

Before they had a chance to really set anything up, a ball of purple acid passed over them. Thankfully, it wasn't one of those raining balls of acid. Those are just awful and never fun to clean up.

"Oh. It's you guys." their opponent announced, revealing themselves as Lilithmon. 'I was hoping that you guys would show up."

Airu took a deep breath, ducking behind her partner in the process.

"Where did she go?" Lilithmon screamed and began shaking a hand at the duo. "Come back here this very moment!"

Cho let out a laugh.

"Give her a moment." the baker explained as she set her rake down for the moment. "These sorts of things take time for Sugar. You can't rush it for her."

But that seemed to make their opponent even angrier. She began jumping up and down with the added benefit of uttering curses under her breath. Quite bigoted and potentially racist curses I might add. The sort that could reflect badly on this fic and the person posting it. But eventually, Airu made her return entrance.

"Here I am!" Airu remarked and stood up, pulling out a handful of jacks out of her skirt's internal pocket. "What do you need of me?"

Lilithmon's face shifted, a smile taking the place of whatever angry expression she had previously.

"I want your body, five feet under." their opponent explained and charged forward, swinging a hand their way. She didn't use her acid thankfully, which I guess could be seen as a blessing. Yet, Airu and Cho stood there.

"Why aren't you list-"

Before Lilithmon had a chance to finish her sentence, the click of the bear trap piercing into the flesh of her leg stopped her.

"You dumb fuck!" Lilithmon screeched as her body began to flail about.

"Uh…" Airu remarked, squinting her eyes to make something out. "Cho, can you do something for me?"

Cho turned towards her partner and knelt down slightly. A bit of whispering later, she gave a nod.

**Dadada Minchi (Strike, Strike, Strike Mince)!**

Carefully, Cho swung the net towards her boss, letting it hit what should be empty air. But instead, she got an insect like screech. A large spider of sorts then popped off of the mega's back and made a beeline towards Airu.

"I got this." the trapper added and charged head-on towards the creature. "Cho, can you keep this thing under control?"

Cho nodded and jumped onto the spider's back. Which came right as her reached her partner and bit down.

"Airu!"

She got the thumbs-up, which was then followed by a soft shaking of the abdomen. The spider began to shake about and decided now was a good time to roll onto its back. While Cho was still on it.

"Crud."

Carefully, Cho jumped away and joined her girlfriend.

"Uh… do we just pet it?" she remarked, watching Airu place a hand on the abdomen. A slight rub f

"I guess?" Airu answered and began stroking, only to be jumped by the spider again. This time, it was in the loving sort of way. Like a puppy, except far more creepy.

"You should give me a heads-up on these sorts of things, Sugar." Cho added as she helped Airu away from her new best friend. "Especially if you plan to take this relationship seriously."

Airu's face blushed a nice shade of red, just without the usual bewildered expression her partner had come to expect. Not that such

"At the very least, you could tell me the opossum story Jesmon was alluding too."

"Fine." Airu remarked, letting her gaze turn towards the spider thing. "But first, we need to figure out what this thing even is."

Carefully, she pulled her phone out from her skirt pocket. A quick power-up later, the duo were in business.

"Let's see here."

Of the few apps that Airu had, it was the one that had a book symbol that caught their attention. But it required an update, so the duo sat themselves down next to the spider and the still paralyzed Lilithmon. Airu did remove the bear trap, setting it down to the side for the moment.

"Now are you going to tell me the story?"

"Yeah." Airu answered. "Though, I'm not sure how he of all people would know about it."

She took one more deep breath, turning to face Cho.

"This all happened a couple years ago…"


	9. Storytime with Airu

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Young Airu casually jogged down the pavement.

At that particular moment, she had just gotten done at school and was now on her way home. The fastest way took her through a series of alleyways, culminating in a t-intersection of sorts.

"Hmm…" the student thought and looked over her options. The alley to her left was usually the less busy of the two, but there was the chance that some undesirable would be out and about. And while the young trapper had been

The right alley on the other hand had a variety of hazards related to it, but was far more straightforward to follow.

"Help!"

Before Airu had a chance to really decide, a scream came forth from the right tunnel. Without even thinking about it, her legs moved and she began to head down the right alley. Her gaze bounced all about, searching for whatever may have brought forth such a scream.

Eventually, her gaze came upon a brown plush. It looked quite dirty, with a mix of dirt and oil staining the fur among other things. There was no tag or even a manufacturer's mark, leaving this quite a mystery for the young trapper. But that didn't stop Airu from picking the plush up and flipped it over, revealing the bruised face of what appeared to be an opossum.

"Are you alright?" she inquired and watched the creature's eyes open up.

"Yeah."

Airu perked up, letting a smile form on her little face.

"Do you have a name?" the student continued, carefully brushing away the muck. While she could've used a cloth or even a part of her shirt, the idea didn't come to her well after the fact.

"Opossummon."

"Do you have an owner by any chance?"

Opposummon stayed silent for a few seconds, only to nod its head.

"Airu."

As the trapper spoke her own name, everything seemed to blur. Her body crumpled to the floor, with someone catching hold.

"Hang in there." a voice announced as a hand found a way to the trapper's neck, seeming to push down upon it. "This will all be over in a minute, mom. Then things will be set right."

For our young trapper, none of the words coming out of her assailant's mouth make any sense. Especially calling her 'mom'. That made no sense. She wasn't anywhere close to be of an age to have children. Let alone one big enough to strangle her. So Airu did what she thought was the best move in her current situation. She kicked this unknown person.

"You little…" the assailant announced and found Opposummon flung back at her. "Come back here and I'll make this quick!"

Yet her target runs even faster, occasionally making a glance behind her. I guess Airu wanted to make sure she wasn't being followed or something.

.

"I'm not sure why this strange woman wanted to choke me, but…" Airu remarked and let her focus turn to Cho and Lilithmon. "I'll be ready for whenever she comes."

"Huh." Cho answered, watching her girlfriend make a quick glance towards her phone. "Is it finally done?"

"Yep." Airu answered and pointed the device towards the spider. "Uh… Scan?"

Compared to her attempt at unlocking the device, this was the magical word. A holographic screen appeared, revealing a little chibi Scorceressmon along with one of those loading wheels. To pass the time, the little champion was doing magic tricks. And failing badly I might add. Like seriously, I know the 'rabbit-out-of the hat' and the 'pick-the-card' far better than the average person would from my time in that stupid 'pit'. They're not hard tricks, but this is just painful. Especially when it's quite clear how she's even doing them. Thankfully, the program finally booted up and annoying loading screen disappeared.

_Now scanning…_

_Loading Entry…_

**Parasimon**

**Mega, Virus**

**Special Moves: Electric Bind, Digicabolic Steroid**

**.**

**Airu: It works. Whoo!**

**Cho: It even has support for little chibi figures, Sugar.**

' **Narrator': Not that we have any to use.**

**Airu: Boo.**

_Scan Complete._

"Well that was helpful… I think." Airu remarked as their attention to Parasimon. While the spider had started things off on the wrong foot, there was room to fix that up. "Want to come up with us?"

Parasimon perked up, deciding now was as good of time as any to begin jumping up and down in place.

"I'll take that as a yes." Airu remarked, only to get to get a glare from Cho. "I'm guessing you have an objection?"

"Suppose we do take him to the backyard shed. What do you plan to do with him, Sugar?" Cho inquired, watching Airu crack a smile.

"Use him a mount." the trapper explained and carefully got on the large spider. "He looks like he can hold both of us and our stuff."

Cho took a deep breath, shaking her head right after.

"If you say so, Sugar."

Carefully, the baker cast her armor aside to the pile with the bear trap and Lilithmon. For the moment, they could just pick that stuff up once they were done dealing with their current problem. After, the baker cautiously approached the spider. At first, Parasimon acted quite confused, backing away when she approached.

"It's alright." Airu encouraged as she petted the spider's head, motioning for Cho to do the same. "Cho's my friend."

Hearing that seemed to calm the spider down, especially after getting to 'lick' Cho a couple times. The baker reluctantly accepted the gesture, resisting the urge to grab her rake and slam it into the digimon. After, Parasimon bent down and allowed the duo on board. While by no means comfortable, it would serve the duo's purpose quite well.

"We did it."

After saying that, she turned her attention to her girlfriend.

"Yeah." Cho remarked and pulled Airu in, finding herself in a hug of sorts. "Anywhere that you would like to go, Sugar~"

The two broke away, with Airu shifting her gaze to the surrounding area.

"Let's just start with the neighborhood for now." the trapper remarked and gave Parasimon a slight tap. "Let's go."

Parasimon complied, heading forth without a second thought. While the spider had a bit of trouble making the transition from the lawn to concrete, that could be chalked up to the lack of sidewalks in a majority of the digital world. Or just the lack of anything resembling a neighborhood in general. Which raises an interesting question. Not counting stuff like that one plantation? Where do most of the digimon in the digital world reside? Do they live in tribes? Or is there some secret community that only comes up in stories.

"Huh." Airu remarked as the two took in their elevated surroundings. While there was not much different from earlier trips outside, something about it seemed nice. Maybe because it felt like a second date. "Wait, does what happened earlier count as one?"

"Why not?" Cho answered. "Sure, there are people out there that would cry foul. But we can just ignore them and get to the fun times right now, Sugar."

Both girls let out a laugh as Parasimon turned, the house quickly coming back into view.

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly did Lilithmon bring for you?" Airu remarked, only to catch sight of Lilithmon shaking her fist towards them. I guess she was still mad at them. Even though they were the ones who saved her life.

"Just my baking stuff and maybe a plushie or two." Cho answered, following it up with a smile. "Nothing major. Just some small stuff."

"Oh. Sounds good."

She gave Parasimon a quick tap, which he decided meant stop. And stop he did. By launching both his passengers into the yard. Thankfully, neither girl landed on the bear trap or Lilithmon.

"There you two are." Lilithmon remarked and took a deep breath, the paralysis gone from her body. "Sorry about the mess that I created."

Airu shook her head.

"No, it's alright. Would you like to help us our 'puppy'?"

Lilithmon gave Parasimon a quick once over. After, she carefully gave the spider a couple pets. While the spider digimon wasn't quite as happy to see her again, it seemed alright.

"That would be helpful, if you could." Cho answered and pulled herself and Airu up. "Though, do we want to just take him to the shed?'

Airu held a finger to her chin.

"Is anyone using the shed at the moment?" Lilithmon continued and turned her attention to the trio. While her anger was gone now, there was still a chance of the mega exploding on them.

"Just a Candlemon." Airu added and got a chuckle from Lilithmon.

"Eh. He can share. I guess" the mega remarked as they headed off, with Parasimon following right behind. "Though there is a question on how we'll get him inside."

But Parasimon had already figured out the solution to that problem. It's solution was to run head-on, smashing through the front door. Eye-first.

"Get away from me, you beast!" Candlemon announced and sprinted out of the shed. "I refuse to share such living arrangements with this… thing."

Parasimon gave him a lick, which did little to reduce the candlestick's worries. After, Airu pulled her phone out and pointed it towards Parasimon.

"Initiate registration."

Once more, a bright light was brought forth. After a couple seconds, it disappeared.

_Registration complete!_

"Whoo." Cho announced and let her gaze focus in on Airu. "How are you holding up, Sugar?"

With that now out of the way, the trapper took a deep breath and cracked a smile.

"It's been a long day, why don't we head inside?" Lilithmon suggested, right as the smell of something filled the air. "It would appear that diner is ready."

The mega then headed back inside, leaving the trapper and her partner to their own devices. Which they decided to turn towards Candlemon at the moment.

"So what would I need to do in order to get you to live with Parasimon?" Airu inquired.

"Not having that dumb, stupid spider be my roommate." Candlemon answered and let forth a fireball. Before it had a chance to make contact with the trapper, Cho put herself in its path.

"Cho!"

The baker gave a smirk and took a step towards her opponent.

"You know what? I think I'll be fine with that." Candlemon whimpered and hopped back to his shed. Parasimon followed right behind, seeming quite happy to have a new friend alongside Airu and Cho. "Have a nice dinner you two."

"Thank you." Airu remarked as the two made their way inside.


	10. Mixed Messages

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Inside, Mrs Suzaki had set up an impressive feast in what most would see as an impossible window of time. But it's entirely possible that she is just efficient in that regard. Or perhaps had a lot of leftovers from the past week. Whatever the solution turned out to be at this moment didn't really matter.

"Mmm…" Cho remarked as she began to pile food onto her plate. "This is really good, Mrs Suzaki."

"Thank you, Cho." Mrs Suzaki answered as she passed a plate over to her daughter. "So how are you feeling, honey?"

Airu took a deep breath.

"Pretty good." the trapper remarked as her cheeks glowed red. She focused in on Cho, giving her a subtle wink. Actually, scratch the subtle part. It was quite obvious to all at the table.

"Oh my, Sugar." Cho mumbled as both Lilithmon and Jesmon's gazes turned towards them.

"Well, it's pretty clear." Jesmon added, scooping a spoon into some mashed potatoes and dishing it onto his plate. "Though, I'm not sure why that jester was so kind to Airu and Cho. She seemed to dislike the rest of us."

His comment seemed to catch both the trapper and her girlfriend off guard. While neither had put much thought into the why of that mess, it was a good idea to think about it.

"What do you mean?" Airu responded and got a deep breath in return. Jesmon's focus shifted to her parents, who gave him a nod.

"A few of this group's digimon have heard stories about the things that she's done." the royal knight explained. "Some of it good. Some of it bad. Never can really know with what sort of person. Or thing."

Airu's gaze shifted away

"Huh." Airu answered as let her gaze focus on her parents. "I'm guessing that's why some girl bribed my brother to steal a teddy bear?"

Her comment seemed to catch Mr Suzaki by surprise. His wife on the other hand, seemed more content with hearing about this. Though, her focus was more on Hiroshi now. While the boy hadn't been hurt in any way, such an event could affect him long after the fact. Yet, he seemed alright for now.

"Sorry about that, sis." he whispered as his father's attention focused in on him.

"What did the girl look like, exactly?" Mr Suzaki remarked. "Any scars, defining features, accessories?"

Hiroshi closed his eyes, revealing a light coat of possibly stolen eye shadow. After a few seconds of that, he shook his head.

Airu opened her mouth, only for Cho to shoot her a glare.

"Why do you want to know?" the baker remarked. "We handled it."

For that remark, Airu gave her girlfriend a slight tap to the leg.  
"Cho…" Airu whispered, only to find her parents focus on both of them."They're just trying to get a better grasp on what happened."

Cho let out a sigh, choosing to take a couple bites of her food before making her next remark.

"Then by that same token, what is your two's story?" the baker countered and watched her girlfriend's parents look away. "I'm waiting."

But the answer never seemed to come. If anything, the two older chosen seemed even more willing to dodge the question. To some extent, they had nothing lose in either outcome. To them, the choice they made seemed like the more fun option. Sort of like a certain jester. But I digress.

"So how many members makes up this supposed group?" Hiroshi inquired, actually making an attempt at being helpful for the moment. "Or is mom and dad the only ones?"

Silence fell over the table, with Lilithmon shooting Jesmon a quick glance. In return, the royal knight gave her a slight nod.  
"If we're counting both humans and digimon, twelve." Lilithmon explained as she let her focus turn to Airu and Cho. "Even split, both ways. We were all great friends. But look at us."

Her gaze shifted away from the duo and to her parents.

"When was the last time you actually answered Agni's phone calls and texts?" Jesmon continued. "Heck, St Clair and Triglav even called me earlier just to make sure you two were still alive."

Mrs Suzaki mumbled something under her breath and dug into her meal. After, she took a sip of something.

"Our time has long past." Mrs Suzaki continued and turned to Airu. "The next generation is right in front of us. Maybe it's time to pass on the torch."

Airu looked away, taking a deep breath in the process. While the full picture seemed quite fuzzy in her mind, she was starting to get a grasp on it. Well, she thought she had one at least. It was just as likely that she was grasping at straws.

"So you're just going to give up then?" the trapper inquired and looked to her parents. "For all you know, this whole hunt thing could've have just started. You throw in the towel quite yet. There has to be something that you can do..."

But the trapper's words fell upon deaf ears. So she took one more deep breath, finished what was on her plate and got up. After cleaning off said plate, she put in the dishwasher and made her way towards the staircase. Cho followed right behind, finishing off what she could to the best of her abilities and cleaning

"Thank you." the baker remarked and gave Mrs Suzaki a wave. But Mrs Suzaki didn't wave back.

After, the baker let her gaze turn back to her girlfriend. At the moment, Airu was already up the stairs and heading towards her room. So Cho did her best to keep up, still clad in her full armor. While a challenge, she somehow managed quite well and reached the top of the stairs in record time.

Of course, that didn't stop Airu from closing the door on her. Though, I think it was more of an accident that anything intentional.

"Airu, let me in." Cho remarked and watched the door slowly swing open. "Is there something that I can help you with?"

In the incredibly short time that occured from closing the door and Cho getting there, Airu had taken managed to get out a bunch of her precure dolls and set them on the bed.

"I guess." the trapper remarked, the cure heart doll in hand. "Want to join me?"

"Let me change first, Sugar." Cho answered, getting a nod in return as she was handed her casual outfit. A quick clothes change later, she looked over her options.

At first glance, a lot of the dolls all seemed the same. There were your Pinks with their bubbly attitudes and ability to make friends with just about everyone. Next up were the Blues, the brains of the group and the ones to balance out the Pinks. The Yellows were third, serving as the creative output of the team. Finally, there were the miscellaneous colors in the form of Green, Red and Purple. While by no means 'bad' colors, they sat at the lesser used of the precure color spectrum.

"Is this all of them?" Chi inquired.

"I haven't gotten the Hugutto dolls yet." Airu answered. "I'm waiting on Machirie and Armour to be released before buying the whole set."

Chi just stood there, unsure of how to really respond to that.

"Uh… Who's this gal's name, Sugar?" she remarked and pointed towards a doll with dark blue hair and dressed in a mix of blue and white.

"That's Cure Diamond." Airu explained. "She's Cure Heart's very best friend."

The remark seemed to go over Cho's head, with her only realizing what the trapper meant a couple seconds later.

"Oh."

Cho shifted her gaze away from the bed, only for something to catch her eye. It was a doll of similar nature to those on the bed, but appeared a bit less used than them. A black dress with a gray bat wing pattern covered it's body, while a pair of red-heeled shoes covered the feet. Blonde hair hung down to the doll's waist, while a pair of bright blue eyes gazed over it's supposed dominion.

"That's Regina. I kind of forgot about her." Airu responded and took a deep breath. "She's sort of a precure, sort of not."

They gave us that bitch Cure Ace instead. Because you know what, everyone loves a sudden addition without any explanation.

"Sure…" Cho remarked and carefully picked the Regina doll up, setting it down right by Airu's Cure Heart. "Sugar, what happened?"

The sudden changing of the subject caught the trapper off guard, but she took a deep breath and focused on Cho.

"I just don't get it."

"Get what?"

Airu shifted her doll a little.

"Why they seem so keen of just passing the torch to me and whoever else pops their head out of the woodwork?"

"Uh…"

Cho let her gaze fall to her doll. She pushed Regina forward towards Cure Heart, articulating the arms in such a way to wrap them around the doll.

"I'm not sure. I guess they just want to live their lives without having to deal with the various pains this sort of thing brings."

Airu gave a reluctant nod.

"I guess." she remarked and carefully manipulated Cure Heart's arms to wrap around Regina's body. "Though, that does make me kind of selfish."

Cho shook her head.

"They're here right now, Sugar." the baker countered as they looked over their handywork. "Best to get as much use out of them as you can."

With the two dolls now posed in a way that the duo found suitable, they turned their attention to Cho's bags.

"Got any pajamas, by some chance?"

Cho shook her head.

"Could I borrow some of yours then, Sugar?" the baker remarked and got a nod in return. After, Airu got out a pair of pink and purple pajamas. She hands the purple set over to Cho, turning around to give her girlfriend a slight bit of privacy. Once that was accomplished, the two pulled the covers back and snuggled on in.

* * *

Notes:

St Clair is the patron saint of television workers among other things.

Triglav is a three-headed Slavic deity believed to have once ruled over the heavens, earth and the underworld. His most notable feature was a gold blindfold over each head's eyes.


	11. Freefallin'

_I don't own digimon or precure._

* * *

Date 11

Freefallin'

Sleep came quite quickly for the two girls.

While there wasn't much in the way of dreams, they actually managed to make Airu's bed work. And by that, I mean Cho held Airu close to her

"Good morning, Cho." Airu greeted and tipped her head up, watching her girlfriend slowly open her eyes. "How did you sleep?"

"Pretty good." the baker answered as she pulled herself up. "Anything that you want to do today, Sugar?"

Airu let out a chuckle.

"Not really." the trapper explained and turned her attention to the closet, where Jesmon had repaired the wall. At the very least, it meant the two could change without fear of someone watching. Which was a pretty big win when you got down to it. "I guess we should get dressed then?"

Cho gave a nod as they made their way over. While the options hadn't changed at all, it was still a good idea for the trapper to show it to Cho. That way, she would get familiarized with it and wouldn't have to worry about not having anything to adorn. Why she would even have such a worry is beyond me. But you know, better safe than sorry.

Cho stared towards her options, eventually focusing in on a black pair of jeans with a purple t-shirt with a star decal. Airu on the other hand, just went for a sparkly pink top with a matching skirt. Which won't be hard on the eyes at all.

"What do you think?" she remarked and struck a pose, possibly imitating one of her many favorite precure characters.

"It looks nice, Sugar." Cho answered, deciding to copy her girlfriend. Unlike her sadly, she wasn't as successful. Not that I could really see much of a difference.

But this little show of poses was promptly interrupted by the arrival of Lilithmon. Who for some reason, decided that onesies were somehow in for adults. Not that I'm certain if they are or not. That sort of thing I was never that into.

"Good morning." Lilithmon remarked, deciding that she was going to do her nails while drinking coffee. Truly a maverick. "Mommy saved you two some desert. It was a dreamy chocolate cake. You would have loved it."

Good to know. Especially since I'll have to compare to all the other chocolate cakes I've ever eaten.

"Thank you." Airu remarked and focused on Lilithmon. "Anything else we need to know?"

The mega shook her head and skedaddled out of the room. Cho took this opportunity to look over to her girlfriend.

"Sugar, do you think we can another episode of Maho Girls?" she inquired, the trapper perking up. "Do you want to bring any of the cure dolls with us then?"

"I guess." Airu responded, picking up her dirty clothes and making her way over to her hamper. Cho was right behind, making sure that she didn't accidentally dump her armor in there as well. That would suck. For both her and the armor itself. That out of the way, the duo grabbed their respective cure dolls - Cure Heart for Airu and Regina for Cho, "Ready to head on down?"

Cho nodded and the two finally made their way out of the room. While the house was still mostly quiet, some flickers of activity could still be seen. Hiroshi was at least up, but not quite dressed. Or was just trying to decide between two outfits. He'll probably be down in a couple minutes. Their parents on the other hand seemed to be late risers with an eye for an open door. Give them another hour, maybe two.

Thankfully, the walk down the steps passed without incident. Even if Cho really wanted to carry Airu down, bridal-style. At the bottom of the stairs, she set the trapper down. Carefully, of course.

A short walk to through the hall and into the living room follows. Like what was predicted, Lilithmon was the only one down here at the moment.

Cho gave a nod and joined Airu, who currently was getting her laptop set back up. Once that was all done, the third episode began.

Compared to the first two episodes, this one showed Mirai and Riko shopping for school supplies. Witch school supplies. This sounded cool on paper, but was far less different than buying regular school supplies. Of course, a spider girl thing shows up and attempts to ruin the peace. But after a hard fought battle and a fiery power-up, the two managed to save the town and get the Linkle Stone Ruby. Then, Mirai gets the rest of her school supplies from what is possibly a man attempting to pass themselves off as a woman. A very creepy one, at that.

"So just how many of these grunts are there?" Cho inquired as the end theme and it's associated credit sequence started up.

"Five or six, then three." Airu answered, getting a confused look from Cho in return.

"Did they lose half of their group or something?"

A head shake.

"No, three new people show up out of nowhere with a proper plan." Airu explained, Cho's look still unchanged. "I don't really get it either."

Cho gave a nod as they started the next episode up.

Back at magic school, the first actual magic lesson had finally begun. With them trying to find magical paper butterflies. And before you ask, the only other thing they teach is how to ride a broom. Yeah, some weird priorities they have in this realm. After a quick info dump with a remark made about hands holding, Mirai and Riko go about searching for the butterfly. Only for Mirai to get attacked by a turtle dressed like a roman centurion of all things. His whole big deal is that he's honorable and stuff and wants a true fight with our heroes. He drives Mirai into the library, with Riko on her tail. Thanks to the discovery of the Linkle Smartbook. Which sounds cool, but isn't really. You would think it would at least have some level of smartphone capabilities, but that's two seasons away. Thankfully, they beat their opponent and catch their butterfly, only for a tiny fairy baby to be born for them, which Toei would rather you not think about at all. Make of that what you will.

By that point, Jesmon and Airu's parents were making their way down with Hiroshi taking up the rear. I guess my guesses were sort of off. Oh well.

"Good morning." Jesmon greeted and waved what was possibly an invisible cowboy hat. Or maybe just an imaginary one. Who could really know with him.

"You too." Airu remarked and closed the laptop, her and Cho getting up in the process. "Anything that I can do for you guys?"

As the trapper said that, her mother perked up. She made her way over to the pantry. A quick look later, she turned her attention back to the pair.

"Yes, actually." Mrs Suzaki answered. "Could you two get some groceries for breakfast?"

Airu gave a nod, grabbing a bag off a nearby chair. Then she turned to Cho. While they had planned to mostly relax, the plan had changed. Now, the trapper wasn't quite sure how her girlfriend would react.

"Are you fine with that?" she inquired and got a bit nod in return from the baker. "Okay. Let's put away the cure dolls and grab our stuff."

They made their way upstairs, taking the stairs up two at a time. Once at the top, a mad dash back to their room followed. Where things were still the same as they had been as they had left them. So they put their dolls in a hugging position and turned their attention to the pile of Cho's armor.

"I have a question." Airu asked, giving the armor a poke.

"Shoot, Sugar."

"Is your armor decorative or does it serve a purpose?"

Cho made a glance towards the armor, following it up with a bit of a chuckle.

"A little bit of both, Sugar." the baker continued, holding up the helmet to Airu's head. "Hmm… I guess it could fit you. May I'll get you a set for your birthday or Christmas. Which one is closer for you, Sugar?"

Her remark caught Airu by surprise. So she closed her eyes and imagined what she would look like. Against her own better judgement, she would've gone for a purple, maybe violet color scheme. She probably have it be cat-themed though with a cat paw staff. Yeah. That would be nice.

"Sugar?"

Thankfully, her girlfriend was able to break her from her daydream and get her back to reality.

"Sorry about that." Airu answered, picking up her jacks and stuffing them into the secret skirt pocket. "So, armor or regular clothes?"

Cho shot the armor a quick glance, shrugging right after. While the protection would be nice, it was bulky and a pain in the butt to move in unless you were going fast.

"I'll be fine without it, Sugar." she answered, grabbing her rake. Then it was back down the stairs. There, Airu made sure to grab her other bag along with some snacks. Then it was just a matter of making their way outside and over to the shed. While Candlemon was warming up to his new roommate, it was still a learning process.

"Can I have some wax please?" Airu announced as she knocked on the door.

"I guess." Candlemon muttered, getting a good look at the trapper as she entered. Carefully, he handed over a jar and watched Parasimon spill out. "Best of luck out there."

Cho gave a nod, her attention to her girlfriend. Airu was currently in the process of getting onto her mount, making sure she was in snug. Then it was her turn to get on. She jumped and carefully positioned herself to hold on.

"Ready to go?" Airu remarked, getting a nod from Cho and a bark from Parasimon. "Forward."

Parasimon complied, heading forward without much thought. This time, the transition from grass to pavement went far smoother. If anything, the spider seemed even more intent on adapting to this strange new environment he was forced to call home.

"Arf!" he announced, his eye stalk focusing up towards the sky. Just barely visible was a girl on what looked to be a purple wyvern. I wonder… Yeah, it's probably them. No doubt about it.

"Okay…" Airu remarked and gave Parasimon a slight tap. The spider changed direction, deciding that meant a turn to the left. "I'm guessing they're some big shot hunter here to compete with us for some reason?"

Offscreen, the narrator tried to hold back their laughter. They failed miserably. Not that she was really trying in that regard.

"I doubt it, Sugar." Cho answered back and made one more glance towards the sky. "I've heard a couple of rumors. Some girl with weird shape-shifting powers managed to talk down a literal demon, earning it's trust and eventually, it's heart. Then they got married or something."

Airu's gaze shifted slightly, making sense of her girlfriend's words as best she could. It seemed so far-fetched. At the same time, so very possible. So she took a deep breath, her focusing return to Cho.

"Where did you find out about all this?" she inquired, catching Cho by surprise. Well, kinda I guess. It was entirely possibly she hadn't put much thought into the rumor until now. Or she was just surprised by her girlfriend being so interested in something like this. Either answer is completely valid here.

"Some girls in school claimed to have heard it from some of their friends." Cho explained, getting a nod from Airu. "Though, the last part is just speculation more than anything."

Airu let her attention focus back on the street ahead. The stores were quickly coming into view, with their next obstacle coming quite quickly.

"Do you have some rope on you?" Cho inquired and watched her girlfriend dig into her bag. "I'll take that as a no then, Sugar?"

The two began gazing about the nearby area, searching for anywhere or possibly anything that could hide such a large spider. Before they had a chance to really check any potential area out, a small bomb was flung their way.

"Crap."

Airu gave Parasimon a slightly harder kick, which made him speed up for some reason.

"Cho, how well do you know this area?" the trapper remarked, making a quick glance towards her partner.

"Kind of?" Cho answered, looking around as best she could. While she had just gotten to this world, she hadn't really gotten to be a tourist. "I'm guessing you want me to run around to try and get whoever throwing explosives at us off our tails?"

Airu gave a nod, sighing. She wasn't sure who she had pissed off, let alone what sort of beef they may have with her. Right now, she just needed to evade them.

"Got it."

But just as Cho was about to dismount, her gaze focused back on the trapper.

"Wait. Where do we want to meet back up?"

"Hm…" Airu mumbled, batting another bomb away with her hand. She made a quick glance towards the surrounding area, only to focus in on a skyscraper. "Meet me at the base of there."

Cho gave a nod and attempted to dismount. But just as she did, screaming filled the air.

"Get out of the way!"

Parasimon stepped to the side, just in time for what appeared to be a boy to slam into the asphalt. For this special occasion, this person had gone with brown hoodie and yellow pants. Sadly, this did little in the way of pushing attention away from himself, especially when compared to his brown eyes and dark blue hair.

A white humanoid followed right along and landed sort of gracefully on the sidewalk. Unlike his human, he had gone with a pair of long grey jeans held up with a pair of belts. His top on the other hand, was just a bunch of hose wrapped in such a way to look like an 'X' for some reason. A pair of wood bracers covered his hands, with a pair of matching practice swords in hand. Finishing off this unique look, was a pair of yellow eyes set within a mask-like head and long locks of reddish orange hair.

"Hi?" Airu remarked and watched the boy pull himself out. After, he pulled an explosive out and pointed it towards the trapper.

"Airu Suzaki, any last words?"

.

.From atop a nearby building, a purple wyvern casually lands. Once on the ground, a woman dismounts and turns her attention to the beast. It's body shifted, taking on the form of a woman with pink hair. A dark blue sundress straddles her body, contrasting greatly with the red dress on her rider's body.

"What do you think?" the woman remarked as her companion joined her. They had gotten quite used too jumping between worlds, hoping to god this would would be the final stop. This was no different.

"It's nice." the other woman answered, letting her arms wrapped around the first. "While I was hoping for something tropical, it's a perfect place to properly start our honeymoon."

They both let out a low chuckle, taking a cautious step forward to the edge. Before either girl had a real chance to observe the situation below any better, the first woman's phone rang.

"Yes?" she remarked. "Oh hi, Suiko! It's been a while. How are you holding up?"

Notes:

Been a while. Good to see they're still around.


	12. Short sticks of fun

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Airu took a deep breath.

"So let me make sure I'm hearing you correctly." she remarked and made a quick glance towards Cho, who already jumped off Parasimon and now had her rake out. "You want to kill me."

"Yes." the boy remarked and pulled one of those zippo lighters out. You know, those weird metal blocks that everyone assumes all flip lights look like? Yeah, kinda like that.

Our mystery man then pointed it towards his explosive, giving a slight flick to try and taunt the duo. To add to their supposed 'joke', the humanoid thing was laughing at them. "If I kill you, the future will be a far better place."

But all his words seemed to do was confuse the pair. Mostly because it probably felt like they had stepped into a far different fic without any sort of warning. Let me check, yep. We're still a dramatic romantic comedy. This is just par for the course for us.

"How the heck is that supposed to reassure us?" Cho inquired as she stepped closer to Airu. "For all you know, killing Sugar could result in a far worse outcome."

The mystery man let out a chuckle, flinging the explosive towards the girls anyway. Mind you, he then decided that just standing there and grinning like a cocky idiot was also a good idea at this particular moment. Personally, I would be running to a safe place. But to each their own in that regard.

"Let me give this back to you." Airu answered, carefully picking the explosive up and flinging back to the thrower.

At first, their opponent continued to chuckle. It was only after his partner began to point at the 'grenade' sitting at his feet that he truly started to panic. Even then, that just resulted in more laughing from their opponent. Just now focused on the bomber rather than them.

"You idiot." he screamed and flung the device into a nearby alley. That was coincidentally empty at that exact moment. While one could call it luck, it was possibly of the 'dumb' variety. If anything, this idiot could have just as easily blown himself up.

"But I didn't." the boy countered, his attention returning to Airu. "Aren't you a little bit curious at all?"

Airu shot him a glare.

"About what?"

Their opponent cracked a smile, only for it shift into another taunt. He seemed to like really doing that. Especially when his companion was starting to get a bit antsy.

"Why someone wants you dead, of course." the boy countered and held his hands up in the air. "Or is this just some daily occurrence that you're content with happening?"

Airu rolled her eyes and let out a snicker of her own. After, she gave Cho a nod and the two made their way back to Parasimon. Once on, the trapper gave the spider a slight tap and they headed off once more.

Of course, their opponents didn't quite get that message. No, they instead decided to just follow them. Because you know, that would totally turn out in their favor. Especially after the resounding success of their first attempt.

"Sugar, they're still there." Cho remarked as what was now the fourth explosive device flew right on by. This one thankfully exploded harmlessly in the air. "Do you want me to do anything about it?"

Airu shook her head, following it up with a quick glance to her left.

"No." the trapper answered as another explosive made the journey over their heads. "Sooner or later, they have to either run out of explosives or try something different."

Parasimon made a left, not at all happy with all the bombs that it needed to dodge currently. Add in the general noise and the slight shaking of each explosion, one could wonder why the police hadn't shown up in some dramatic fashion.

"Freeze!"

A shot then rang out, coming dangerously close to Cho. While her decision to not take her armor could have cost her, the bullet had a trajectory that resulted in it just slamming into the wall. It did scare the heck out of Airu.

"I'm alright, Sugar." Cho whispered and got a look from Airu. "Yeah. I probably deserve that."

"Phew." Airu whispered and gave parasimon a gentle rub on the head. The spider stopped, gracefully this time. "Good work, Parasimon."

The person in question approached, quickly coming into view for both parties. They looked like one of those old school detectives. The sort who ran around in trenchcoats and fedora with a cigar at the ready. As was the case of this one, who looked the part quite well. Though on second inspection, could just easily pass as one of the babes that said detectives needed to rescue and/or bang.

"Just my luck." the person remarked and took a deep breath, shaking his head right after. "On one of my few days off I meet one of my friends children."

"And you are?"

The man places his hat at his chest, revealing a pair of glass eyes. A smile of sorts hangs across his face, not that it was reassuring to either group.

"Triglav, at your service." the man greeted as a woman landed. Compared to Triglav, she had decided to go with a bulky set of armor. From the looks of things, "And this is Freya, my beautiful wife and partner."

The woman gives a bow, her gaze focused towards the sky right after. I guess she's hunting for something?

"Stupid dragon, stay still!" she remarked and shook her fist at the air. "That was all I wanted. But no, it just had to get away."

Triglav let out a sigh, letting a hand find its way to his partner's back.

"Now, now. You'll get them next time." Triglav explained and shifted his focus back to the boy. "It's been a while, Ren. how many times have I told you to conserve your explosives rather than just throwing them out all willy-nilly?"

Ren looked away, mumbling something under his breath. Though, it was the girls who were most surprised. Mostly because they weren't expecting that of all the things to come out of this guy's mouth. Sure, they had caught the name 'Triglav' yesterday, but this Ren guy. How did that connect up?

"If you really want to put the bitch out of her misery before she has a chance to fuck everything up again, this is what you need to do. Not get yourself dressed in some princess ge-"

Ren slapped the man, dropping him down right after.

"Huh." he thought and seemed to miss the bullet passing right over him.

**Spiritflare!**

A small group of butterflies collided with this strange man, hitting the grenade quite a number of times. At this point, one would at least expect the idiot holding the grenade to at least drop it. But not Triglav. He seemed to be embracing this with open arms.

Of course, everyone else's focus was more on Ren and his partner. While not in the best mood at the moment, they at least seemed to be willing. Which is a step in the right direction.

"Just let us on!" Ren announced and began to dig through my pockets.

Airu rolled her eyes, following it up with a deep breath.

"On one condition." the trapper explained as her gaze focused even more intensely on Ren. If one didn't know better, they probably would've thought the two were up to no good. Which they kind of were to some extent.

"And what might that be?" Ren remarked, getting a glare from Cho.

"You tell me who exactly wants me dead." Airu answered as she got laughed at by the bomber. As tempted as she was to just throw her jacks, she resisted.

"Where do I even start?" Ren remarked and made a quick glance to Triglav, the grenade having exploded on him offscreen. Which did surprisingly far less damage than one would expect it to do. "If I were you, I would be more interested in who doesn't want to kill than those who will."

His comment caught both girls by surprise, with even Parasimon letting out a low whimper.

"Then what will you change your mind then?"

Ren held a hand under his chin while his partner let out a chuckle.

"A kiss on the cheek." Ren answered and cracked a smile, as if he had figured out that could be used to his advantage. "That's it. Heck, even your partner can look away and just pretend that this didn't happen."

Airu took a deep breath as her gaze fell to her lap.

"Sugar," Cho inquired and watched the trapper's gaze snap to her. "Are you alright?"

Airu nodded.

"Cho?" her girlfriend answered. "Let him have it. Just don't hurt him too badly."

Cho gave a nod, lightly hitting Ren with her rake. Afterwards, she jumped back onto Parasimon and they headed off. For real this time.


	13. Kimi to Tomodachi

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

The next mile or two were a bit of a mixed bag for Airu and Cho.

On one hand, they had managed to put some distance from both chosen and their digimon partners. But by that same token, they had been left with many questions. Questions that didn't quite have a clear answer.

"Can I ask you something, Cho?" Airu inquired as the shopping district came into view.

"Go on ahead, Sugar."

She took a deep breath and turned to face Cho.

"How would you feel if the whole world supposedly wanted you dead?" Airu remarked, each word sounding forced out to some extent. Having been in that sort of situation, I know that feeling. Things feel just out of reach, as if you're running on a treadmill with no signs of stopping. It sucks. But it eventually subsides.

"I'm not entirely sure, Sugar." Cho remarked and leaned forward, wrapping Airu in a hug. "But does this help?'

"A tiny bit." the trapper mumbled and returned the favor, her heart beating a tiny bit faster.

"No matter what happens, I'll stand at your side."

Airu's face turned a bright shade of red.

"Thanks."

At first, the couple broke away. But having second thoughts, the embraced once more. All while their spider walked on.

"The grocery store is right around the corner." Airu explained and turned around. "But, most of the other stores are already open."

Cho perked up a little, deciding to take in the surrounding area. Stores of all shapes and sizes had been carefully placed, serving as a way for one to get all sorts of shopping done in such a short time. An absolutely heavenly place when you got down to it. If you were into that thing. If it maybe had a gym or a place to spar with actual weapons, then I might be up to it.

"Sugar?"

Airu turned back around.

"Yes, Cho?" she inquired, searching for whatever had gotten the baker's attention. Once she had managed to find it, she cracked a small smile.

"Before we get the groceries, do you think we could go clothes shopping?" Cho answered as her gaze temporarily focusing on Airu. Then it was back to the shops itself. "While it's nice of you to lend out some clothes for me, it would probably be best for me to get my own."

"Sounds good." Airu remarked and began to search for a place to park Parasimon. The next couple minutes consisted of the two looking over the nearby alleys in the hopes of finding one that could hold a large spider without him getting out and running around. You would think that would be a challenge, especially after what happened earlier. But you would be surprised.

"How about here?"

Eventually, the two came upon a large alley. While it wasn't any bigger than some of the other alleys, it at least had the benefit of being a curve, making it far harder to notice such a large creature.

After a bit of maneuvering and a couple slight pats, Parasimon made its way over into its temporary home. "Stay here. We should be back soon."

Parasimon let out a low happy bark and watched it's owners walk towards a nearby store.

"Where do you want to start?" Airu continued as Cho's gaze shifted to a nearby store window. She focused in that general direction, finding that the baker had been entranced by…

A small set of teddy bears. They weren't even one of those large ones that you cuddle up with on your bed and have someone your size. These were just regular ones. Not even special deluxe ones.

"And your point is?" Cho continued and got a sigh from offscreen. "Those do sound cool, but these are the sort that I want."

Fine. You can have it your way then. I still think the big teddy bears are better. Even if they do take up a lot more space than the regular ones.

"Sorry about this, Sugar." the baker continued, a shrug being Airu's response. She just watched her girlfriend make a mad dash towards the door. Once there, she waited. As if the only way to somehow open this was to have both of them there. It would make narrating both of you far easier. So, Airu followed right along.

Inside, the place had gone for a kawaii sort of vibe. The walls had been painted sky blue with cute little clouds decals thrown in to break it up. The floor on the other hand, was of the pink shag variety. Long shelves filled with stuffed animals lined the walls, with a couple tables with some of the more general plushies. A counter off to the far side of the room finished it, being manned by a woman. Didn't explain why she was dressed in a kimono of all things.

"Ooh! They even have Idol Pikachu plushies!"

Airu's gaze shifted to the general area that her girlfriend was looking towards, only to find yes, a huge stack of idol pikachu dolls. This might be my eyes deceiving me, but I swear I saw one of the plushies just move. And while it could just be a certain mouse known for her ability to cheat death, it's probably just a coincidence. A very unlikely one, but you can't really know in this world.

"Huh." Airu remarked, watching Cho give the pikachu's a quick look over, eventually deciding upon one at the bottom of the stack. "I'm guessing that's the one?"

Cho jumped up and down like a giddy schoolgirl, flashing a smile. It didn't last, judging by the stack crumpling in on itself and falling onto the floor.

"Before we get to checking out, we should probably fix that."

Cho gave a nod and the duo got to work. While it took a couple of attempts, they did manage to get the plushies into a workable stack. That wouldn't fall over if someone was dumb enough to grab the bottom one. After, Cho made her way to the counter, pulling out a card that Airu didn't even realize that the baker had. Especially one that possibly didn't come from Japan itself. I guess digital world cards just have the quality of being able to mimic whatever card works in that particular country? Or she had it switched over when she arrived in the real world. Probably the latter.

Rather than interfere and ask some personal questions, Airu just observed the process. While the lack of a chip reader did catch the baker by surprise, the machine at least had a sideways card reader. Like it should. Whoever thought having an upward facing card reader was a wonderful had no idea what they were thinking. According to my former boss at least.

"Thank you!" Cho answered and headed towards the door. Airu followed right behind, possibly wanting to ask the questions now. Rather than just waiting till they got back home.

"Debit card." Cho explained as they made their way down the sidewalk, almost as if she had predicted what Airu was going to ask her. "Can I ask you a question?"

Airu turned to face her girlfriend, expecting her to end off with 'Sugar'. But when Cho didn't, she took a deep breath.

"Is there something wrong?" the trapper inquired, watching Cho's attention turn to the general area.

All around them, people were going about their lives. Some were couples, others just single people. But none of them were anything like of them. Sure, there were a couple girls holding hands in a way to suggest something more, but not any one of them had a digimon partner as their beloved. Or were so open to expressing those feelings in public.

"Do you think we're an oddity, Sugar?"

The question catches the trapper by surprise. She understood where Cho was coming from, but was there anything she could say to could really answer it? Or would clarification maybe help here?

"What do you mean?" Airu finally answered, only for Cho to point towards a nearby couple. At the moment, a man and woman were ordering something from what looked to be a crepe stand. They had dressed casually for the occasion, both going with a typical t-shirt and jeans combo. In the man's case, went for a plain blue one with a pair of tan pants. The woman was a bit more adventurous. Her shirt was covered in sequins, with a pair of heart-shaped pockets on her set of pants. An interesting, yet odd choice. "We can do that too if you want."

Her answer seemed to catch the baker off guard, or did it really? Seems to me that Cho here just needs a little push. Then, she'll be totally fine.

"A crepe will do you some good." Airu answered, motioning for Cho to follow her. The baker complied and the two made their way over. "Two crepes, please."

But the seller of the crepes shook his head.

"I just sold the last two to that couple over there." the seller remarked and pointed to the couple that Cho had been looking over earlier. "Though, you could ask the couple over there for one."

"Couple?"

The seller points to two girls at a picnic table. The girl on the left had gone with a red dress with matching boots, complementing her chocolate brown eyes and brunette hair. Beside her, a girl dressed in a dark blue sundress and sandals. Compared to her partner, her magenta hair and amber eyes seemed out of place. Finishing off their looks, was pair of matching rings. The ring on the brunette was a little silver band with an amethyst inset within. For the magenta girl though, it was silver band with a piece of onyx. I guess they wanted to remember each other. How nice, considering the number of times they've been torn apart by outside forces.

Of course, a large plate filled with crepes sat in front of them. Which they seem to be taking their time on. Which

"Uh… Hi?" Airu greeted as she and Cho made their way over. "Do you think we could join you in your crepe feast?"

The magenta haired girl made a quick glance towards the brunette.

"What do you think, Alice?" she inquired and got a sigh from the other girl. A quick look over of the two later, the brunette cracked a smile.

"I guess."

Airu and Cho sat themselves down, with the crepe vendor bring over a pair of plates. Which was nice of him. It would be even better

"If you don't mind me asking," Airu remarked and focused her attention towards the brunette. "What's your name?"

The brunette stopped mid-bite, swallowing what she had chew. After finishing that, she cleared her throat.

"I'm Alice, a gambler." she continued, her attention turning to the other girl. "And that's Elena, a corsair."

Elena gave a wave and returned to their crepes.

"I'm Cho." Cho greeted and pointed to Airu. 'And that's Airu."

Airu gave a wave. After, her focus turned to the women's rings.

"So are you two friends?"

Offscreen, the narrator tried to hide her laughter, failed, and was just trying to keep the sound down. Bad narrator, I guess?

"Friend? I think you might be sorely mistaken." Alice explained, stopping mid-bite again to say that. "Elena is my wife. Well, my wyvern wife to be exact."  
Airu's gaze shifted over to the magenta haired girl, who was currently on her third or fourth crepe. At the moment, nothing about her seemed to shout 'wyvern'. Except for her appetite.

"Sorry…" the trapper remarked, only to get a head shake in return.

"It's alright." Elena answered and place a couple crepes on their guest's plates. "We're not quite used to having peaceful moments as a couple."

Alice let out a chuckle.

"Wasn't that time in that one particular pocket dimension sort of peaceful?" the gambler remarked. "Outside of getting attacked by some weird alternate version of ourselves, yeah." Elena answered and watched Airu's expression shift. "Was there something that you wanted to ask either of us about?"

"Yes, actually." Airu answered and took a cautious deep breath. "What was it like dating?"

Her question seemed to catch both girls off guard, with Alice shooting her wife a quick glance. She gave a nod in return with the gambler letting her focus turn to the other duo.

"Well…" Alice started and placed a hand on the table. "Our first real date was more of a chase than anything else. I kind of threw a tantrum and ran off with my 'sister'. Yet, Elena seemed to see through it all and gave chase. What followed was complete mess of a journey across the digital world that eventually concluded with some of our teammates beating me up in the digital world while Elena entered my mind and duked it out with me."

You're forgetting the part where I and whole bunch of people beat you up five times beforehand. One of which involving the 'entire' cast of this multiverse.

"Oh. So that's what happened." Elena remarked and made a quick glance up towards the sky. After, her focus returned to Alice.

"I'm guessing it was smooth sailing from there?" Cho inquired, getting a head shake in return.

"After, it took some time for me to get my feelings together. Though, a little cuddling helped on that front." Alice continued, a smile forming on her face. "But when I came to a decision, I knew. We both knew kind of for a while."

Her gaze shifted to Elena.

"After that, it was just finding the right push." Elena explained and looked their guests over, who were currently into their second or maybe third crepe. Which just makes me want crepes even more. Dang it. Stop making me hungry you two! I have a job to do!

Both Alice and Elena tried hold off a fit of giggling, only to fail quite miserably.

"Huh…" Airu remarked, letting her gaze fall to her lap. I suspect this wasn't what she was expecting from meeting these two. But that's kind of expected. You won't know someone till you take the time.

"I'm sorry if that felt like information overload." Elena remarked and watched the trapper shake her head.

"No, it's alright." Airu answered. "I was looking for more 'dating advice' than a story on how you two met and got married."

Considering how the last couple years have gone, this is all that these two really have. Well, outside of the adventures in other worlds. Which actually make up some time.

"Oh." Elena continued and gave Alice a nod.

"Take your time." Alice added and let her gaze shift back to Airu and Cho. "Love is not some mystical force that rushes forth at light speed, haphazardly bringing couples together. That isn't love. Love come from the things that you do and the choices you make. From that, a relationship is born and can potentially blossom."

By that point, they had reached the last of the crepes. Which meant having to choose which one of them got it.

"Thank you." Airu remarked as she and Cho got up from the table, picking up their plates to put in the trash. "I'm sorry about bothering you about this."

"Not at all." Elena answered, cracking a smile. "It's nice to talk to another protagonist. Especially one of kind of similar nature."

Alice gave a wave and watched the duo continue on their merry way.

"Elena?"

The corsair turned to face her wife, switching to her other form.

"Yes?"

"That girl sounded familiar." Alice remarked, taking a deep breath. "Is it wrong that she kind of sounded like that plastic woman who was intent on killing us?"

"Yeah…" Elena answered. "Maybe that's her mom, somehow?"

The gambler shot her a confused glance, only to realize something seconds later.

"It's entirely possible."

* * *

Notes:

The next time bar is back. I'm not sure where it went, but here it is.

On our new date: Say yes to the dress?


	14. Pretty Princess Bomber

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

"Where to next?" Airu inquired.

At the moment, the duo was continuing their journey at the shopping center. They had been sent to get some groceries, but were constantly being sidetracked. I guess whatever breakfast they were going to have can wait for the moment? Or they could just have cereal. You guys have cereal right?

"Why would we have that for breakfast?" Airu continued. "That stuff is usually reserved for ice cream."

Excuse me for a second. I need to get my fruit loops.

Offscreen, our narrator ran off to get her fruit loops. Weirdo. I don't really get this whole cereal and milk thing either. Why would anyone do that to their cornflakes?

Thankfully, our narrator came back in time and cut off whatever rant that this other guy had to say. As I was saying, our two heroines were out shopping. But not for stuff for breakfast.

"Maybe a clothes store?" Cho answered and let her gaze turn to Airu. "Though, you never did answer my question, Sugar~"

Cho got a deep breath from her girlfriend, who turned around right after. While the encounter at the crepe stand had reenergized their spirits, the question still remained. Not for any lack of trying, but rather our baker here wanting an actual answer. Fair enough, I guess?

"If we are, we're the queens of oddities then." Airu answered. "If were not, fine by me."

Cho let out a chuckle.

"I guess that's one way to put it." her girlfriend remarked, letting a smile hang on her face. It wasn't meant to last, judging by the cartoon bomb that passed on by. "Wonderful."

Right on cue, Ren made his entrance. And by entrance, I mean jumping from someone's rooftop and attempting to kick Airu. But, he managed to misjudge his landing and make a hole in the sidewalk. Which makes this the second time he's done this. Please don't make this a running gag. It isn't funny.

"Prepare to die." the boy remarked, only for his targets to walk away. They have far more restraint than I would in that situation. "Come back here!"

"Why? You're just trying to kill me." Airu countered, trying to keep her focus on Ren as best she could. "So all these people want me dead. Is there any reason that my death is so important to changing the future?"

Ren froze up, letting his gaze fall to the pavement. He shot his partner a look. All that got him was laughter. Not helpful, but what was he really expecting here? A get out of jail free explanation?

"Can you two keep a secret?" he mumbled as Yasyamon approached. He got a pair of nods and motioned for them to follow. "Good."

The four made their way to a nearby alleyway. After making sure that they weren't being watched at this current moment, Ren pulled something out of his hoodie. At first, it looked like a simple white crystal. But after a couple taps, it seemed to turn into a tablet. Ren pressed a couple buttons. Which brought up a nice wanted photo with Airu's face on it.

"Okay…" Airu remarked and looked towards the screen. "So what exactly did I do that was so heinous?"

Silence fell over Ren, who mumbled something to himself.

"Uh… I'm not entirely certain to be honest with you." the bomber remarked and made another glance at his tablet, as if that would somehow have the . "Every time I get this contract, it always comes up without a submitter name or even a reward."

So in other words, the only reason you're here is because you got curious? It would seem that you just walked into the trap set up to catch you. Not a smart move.

"Yeah…" Ren whimpered and got a pat on the back from his partner. "But usually, I'm too late."

His response seemed to catch his audience by surprise, who were handling this quite well.

"As in, 'I'm-already-dead' late or 'everything-has-gone-downhill' late?" Airu inquired, getting a deep breath in return. Not that it did anything to calm her suspicions about all of this.

"Usually the latter. If I had to take a guess why, you unintentionally started something."

"So killing Sugar will somehow magically disrupt this supposed chain?" Cho answered, looking both opponents over. "You do realize how silly that sounds?"

Yasyamon gave a nod, just to irritate his master. After, Ren let out another deep breath.

"So can we call a truce then?" Airu inquired and held her hand out. At first, her 'opponent' looked away, mumbling something about not wanting to drop his tablet on the ground. But eventually, he managed to make a free hand and shook on it. "Good. That's one problem solved."

She took a deep breath and got a thumbs-up from Cho. While this story sounded farfetched and possibly fabricated, it was all the duo had at the moment.

"Do you know of any place where we can lodge for the moment?"

A pair of blank stares formed on both their faces.

"Uh…" Airu started, trying to recall somewhere, anywhere, that a guy and his weird mime companion could stay. "Sorry, I don't really know a place."

"No, it's alright." Ren answered as they made their way out of the alley. "I will say this though."

He turned his gaze to face both Airu and Cho.

"If you do something I believe that will danger the future of this world, you'll know." the bomber remarked as Yasyamon made some hand motions. They were most certainly not sign language (being fluent in it due to an 'accident') but anything after that I'm not entirely sure on. It probably doesn't matter in this moment. "I promise you that."

"Understood." Airu answered and scanned the area for a clothing store. In their current location, this was quite a trivial task. "How about we try that store?"

She pointed to a nearby corner and Cho shifted her attention over. While the shop looked innocent enough, something about it gives me the creeps. You can still go in it, if you want.

"Have fun." Ren remarked and watched them walk off, only to get a glare from Yasyamon. "Now what?"

Yasyamon stayed silent and grabbed his master's free hand. He then broke into a full-on run, pulling Ren right along.

"So I'm guessing you guys are coming anyhow?" Airu inquired, a nod from Yasyamon following.

"Sure." Ren mumbled as his partner continued to drag him along. "You can let go of me now."

But Yasyamon shook his head and gripped it even tighter.

"What is it?" Ren shouted and got a round of snickering. "Sometimes, I wish you weren't so mysterious and would actually speak to me."

Yasyamon let out a sigh, only to shake his head. After, his gaze shifted towards the pavement for the briefest of seconds. Then it was back to the destination. Not going to lie, there's something off about him. But I can't quite put my finger on what exactly it is. Oh well.

The store in question appeared to have a plain storefront with the imaginative title - Clothes Store. Wonderful. You could have

Inside, the interior did little in the way of making up for the outside. If anything, it showed how little this person knew when it came to interior design. You can have your gray walls and floors all you want, but you have to realize it doesn't make for a welcome environment to shop in. Thankfully, the racks of clothes scattered about the area provided some much needed color, with a silver-haired man on counter duty. Well, they look like a man. For all I know, they could really be a woman. That would just be silly.

"Anything that I can do for you?" the man remarked and watched Airu shake her head.

"Not really." the trapper answered with her and Cho making their way towards the more casual outfits. Ren and Yasyamon on the other hand, were a far different story.

"For the last time, I am not putting on a dress!"

But his partner would not take that answer. Especially when the dress in question was a pink frilly one that seemed more fit on a doll rather than a person. Maybe a princess would wear it, but that would be pushing it.

Bells and ribbons seemed to be plastered all over the outfit, while intricate lace served to hold it all together. This was on top of the extra petticoats thrown in for good measure.

While this was a battle Ren was willing to fight, Yasyamon eventually got his way.

"You better be happy."

The bomber got a thumbs-up, followed by the flash of a camera. After, one of those polaroid photos popped out. Yasyamon gave it a slight shake, beaming with a smile under that stupid mask of his. Personally, I wasn't expecting the 'bounty hunter' of all people to have such a side to him.

"I don't." Ren muttered, swiping at the photo in his partner's hands. Try as he might, the photo was just out of reach. "This is just his little pet project. I'm just the unwilling subject of all of this."

All that got him was laughter. At this particular moment, the bomber wanted to pull out an explosive from his hoodie and just blow both of them up. But Ren took a deep breath and shook his head. Especially since Airu and Cho had noticed him. "Go ahead and laugh."

He got a weird look.

"Why?" Airu remarked, Cho giving a nod. "I think you look quite nice in that dress. Did you pick it out or did Yasyamon did?"

Ren's gaze fell to the floor.

"Yasyamon." he muttered, only to head back over to where he suspected that his partner got it. What follows, was Ren switching out of one princess dress and into another. Compared to the one he had just left, this particular one had less of the ribbon and bells of Yasyamon's, instead going for a plain blue dress. The sort a princess would wear when she's traveling.

"I think I like that one better, Ren." Airu chimed, watching the bomber blush a bright shade of pink. As tempting as it was to flash a smile, Ren now had to deal with his partner. Yasyamon was not in a good mood at the moment, especially having been stood up like that.

"You win this time." the bomber reluctantly muttered and watched his partner perk up, pulling out what appeared to be a scrapbook. After a second or two of flipping through the pages, the photo was slipped in with all the others. Once Yasyamon was satisfied, he slipped the scrapbook back into his massive pant pockets and went up to pay for both dresses. Probably with a debit card just like Cho's. Speaking of which, that was where the baker was also heading. Unlike Yasyamon, she had grabbed a variety of outfits. But mostly stuff for casual occasions.

"Thank you, do come again." the cashier remarked and watched his customers make their exit. They seemed to mostly be in actual good mood, even if the bomber wouldn't admit it. Especially in the face of his partner. A problem he should really get fixed.

.

With the guests now gone, our lone cashier took a deep breath.

"It's alright to come out, 'mom'."

A towering figure dressed in an gothic lolita ensemble then walked out, its face a blank mannequin head. Probably be kind of cute, if not for the weird looking body.

"That girl." the woman mumbled, her gaze staring through the glass of the door. "Important."

"Do you wish for me to tail her?"

"No."

The cashier takes a deep breath, only to find himself wrapped within the woman's arms.

"Dolly. Station."

He gives a nod as a little doll walks out from the back.

"Is it time for me to meet the timekeeper, Ryouma?"

The boy nods. While they aren't sure why their guardian wants them to take their 'sibling' to the train station, but it was not their place to judge. They just needed to do this woman's orders,

"Yes, Dolly."

And with that, the pair headed out. It would be a short journey. If they were lucky, they would get a sight of Airu and co.

* * *

On our next date: Fruit and positive gestures.


	15. Would you like a hug?

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

"Anywhere else, Sugar?"

Airu took a deep breath.

"Let's see…" the trapper remarked and made a glance behind them, finding Ren and Yasyamon still with them. "Is there anywhere else that you would like to go?"

Ren smoothed out his dress, his attention actually on our heroines for once. See, isn't this better?

"I guess." he muttered and sighed. "A wig would be nice."

Let me guess. There's a convenient wig spot on the way to the supermarket. Like seriously, what the heck are they even going to eat? It's probably going to be lunchtime for them. Which also means that you guys need to make lunch for yourselves. Any ideas for that?

Our heroes ignored that part of the narrator's suggestion, but were unable to find a wig shop. Which I guess is a shame. Back to the main plot then.

"That's our cue to find a place to rest." Ren answered, deciding now was the best time to walk away. "Good luck on that breakfast run of yours!"

With that, they were off. Considering how much they were caught with their pants down, that was probably for the best.

"Oh right. That was what we had been sent

Was kind of wondering when you two would actually get to that. Though, you're not the worst offenders.

"Thanks, I guess?" Cho answered as they reached Parasimon, dropping off their stuff for the moment. "We'll be back soon. Hopefully."

Parasimon let out a low bark, followed by a nod. With that out of the way, the duo made their way to the grocery store.

"Any thoughts on our trip so far?" Airu inquired and watched Cho's gaze shift over to her. At first, she seemed to be intent on just staring off into space and not give her girlfriend a proper answer. But after a bit of putting her collective thoughts together and she internal debating, she finally had something.

"It's been fun." Cho answered. "My only real complaint was that Triglav guy and some of Ren's suggestions."

I'll have to agree with you on Triglav. His wife is a crazy psycho too. Like seriously, what the fuck did Alice and Elena do to you? It wouldn't surprise me if she just saw them and opened fire.

"Yeah…" Airu responded. "I'm guessing he's a friend of my parents. How exactly, I'm not entirely sure. Well, outside of whatever adventure they had with him."

The grocery store came into view, with the two grabbing their baskets at the door. Inside, the architects had gone with a black and white tile with tan colored walls. A variety of human and digimon were casually mingling and picking up whatever they needed at this particular moment. In retrospect, it would've been a good idea for the two girls to have gotten a list from Mrs Suzaki. But considering how well they were winging it so far, they probably would've losted it or not looked at any part of it.

"So what are you going to grab first?" Cho inquired and Airu looked over their options. As tempting as it would to be to just to go every which way with no destination, that would just make the grocery trip much longer than it should have been. Not that it wasn't long enough already.

"Fruit." Airu answered and made her way over to the produce section. Though, it would seem that the baker was looking for something else at the moment. "What are you looking for, Cho?"

Airu's question seemed to catch the baker off guard, with Cho giving a shrug in return.

"It's a secret to everyone, Sugar." she answered and slipped something in her basket. "Well, not really~"

Both girls let out a laugh over a possibly overused running gag.

"But in all seriousness, what are you making?"

Cho let out a deep breath, followed by a wink towards her girlfriend. Tempting as it may be to let that particular cat out of the bag, she wanted to keep this a secret for now. Or at least, as long as she could.

"You'll just have to wait and see, Sugar."

Airu let out a groan and watched Cho go off to a nearby aisle.

"Fine then." she grumbled and grabbed some bananas, slipping them into her basket along with some apples and strawberries. After, she made her way towards the vegetables. Of course, she did make the occasional glance to see if she could make out any trace of Cho. But when that inevitably failed, she let her focus return to the task at hand. Of course, it would seem that someone else had other plans for our heroes.

"Freeze."

A shot rang out and a very large apple began bouncing up and down from its brethren. Strangely, he was the only one doing it. Some sort of loner then?

"People of this supermarket, this is the Red Fruit Gang!" the apple announced and shot his firearm off a couple times. But instead of hitting the lights like it intended too, all it managed to catch was a couple steel beams above them. You would think someone with such a rotten core could at least shoot straight. Though, that was possibly asking a little too much out of it.

"Shut up!" the apple muttered and fired another shot, actually managing to wound a person. Said person did respond with the middle finger afterwards. I feel like that's the wrong answer to 'this is a robbery'. But what do I know?

"Oh, up yours!"

This supposed opponent then began firing their firearm all willy-nilly, not all caring what would result in the people inside. So far, nothing of real note. Damage-wise, at least.

"Sugar?" Cho called out, with Airu examining the general area for her. "Do you think you can get over to me?"

"Yeah." Airu answered and made a quick glance behind her. Once she was certain that no one was really paying attention, she slowly crawled towards her girlfriend. "I'm guessing this is for my surprise."

Cho reluctantly nodded her head and pushed her basket in front of her, revealing the usual baking staples: Sugar, flour, cake mix and what appeared to be purple frosting. No need for pesky food dyes.

"I was hoping to bake you a cake, Sugar." the baker explained and took a deep breath. "But if we keep finding ourselves in situations like this, I doubt it."  
But Airu shook her head.

"Nonsense." the trapper answered and cracked a smile, right as the lights went out. "We'll figure something out and head home. Then we'll make the cake."

"Understood." Cho remarked as the two waited for a second to see if the lights would come back on. When they certain that they weren't, their heads moved and possibly met. But the moment that the lights went on, their faces had magically moved away. I wonder… Yeah. I thought so.

"Could you not talk so loud?" Cho continued and took a deep breath. "Nice try, Sugar."

"Boo." Airu mumbled as she got up. "Let's get to work."

Cho gave a nod, pulling herself up in the process. Which the apple didn't notice.

"Outside of your rake, got any other tricks?"

She got a laugh, followed by a smile. That's not very reassuring.

"Very warm hugs."

Airu gave a nod as their focus turned to the apple. While by no means that threatening, they had a gun. Now it's just silly.

"Hey, you big stupid fruit!" the trapper announced and began clapping her hands.

"Fuck. I was expecting those demon lords to be here by now." the apple snarled, but let his gaze focus in on the two girls. "No matter."

The gun shifted towards the pair as the gazes of the hostages focused on them. Possibly because they believed these two might be mad. In this moment, I would have to agree with them.  
"We would like to negotiate our release." Airu explained and got a laugh in return. "What are your demands?"

But all that seemed to get her was laughter.

"You?" the apple taunted, making what it thought was a threatening face. It looked more like a silly face than anything else. "Go play with your dollies. This isn't the sort of situation you want to be in."

Against her better judgement, the trapper kept her cool and made a hand motion towards her girlfriend. Cho nodded and charged forth, arms out in front of her.

**Buta-no-Marayuki (Roast of the Pig)!**

Cho's arms snapped down on the apple, bringing forth great flames and heat to bake the dang thing. Of course, that also resulted in her clothes being charred. Since you know, all the fire and stuff.

"I surrender!" the apple announced and spitted out what appeared to be a apple seeds of sorts. "But mark my words, this isn't the last you'll see of us!"

And with that, he hopped away with his gun in the mouth as Cho and Airu watched on.

"Okay…" Airu remarked, helping Cho pick up any part of her clothes that fell off during her 'hug'. "I'm not sure what just happe-"

She didn't get to finish that sentence, as her device went off. After a bit of searching, the trapper managed to find her phone.

"Hello?" she answered. "Oh hi, boss. Yeah, I'm in the nearby area. Okay."

Airu took a deep breath as the call ended.

"Something wrong, sugar?" Cho inquired as they made their way towards the checkout line.

"My boss wanted me to come in." Airu explained as she watched what little she had purchased was rang up by a cashier. "Though, that doesn't explain how she was able to ring this phone."

The trapper made a quick glance towards her phone, navigating to the contact list.

"Huh. It even has my parent's numbers in there too."

But that was the least of the baker's worries. It was the new information from Airu that had caught her attention.

"You didn't tell me that you had a job." Cho remarked and watched her girlfriend let out a sigh. After, trapper paid for her goods. Seems like more than enough for breakfast. You could probably get a couple days worth out of it. Or a couple meals.

"You're right, I should have told you." the trapper answered as she took her basket off to the side. "Could you take my groceries back?"

The baker gave a nod. She paid for her groceries and began the bagging process. While it took her a minute, it was enough to get her thoughts in some semblance of order.

"When do you think I'll see you again?" Cho whispered, trying her to best to hold back her emotions. It was quite clear on her face. Sometimes, the hardest things about a blossoming relationship are the times that it seems we have to break away. It's alright to cry. That's just a normal part of life.

Airu let out a deep breath, only for her gaze to fall to the ground.

"Hopefully, tonight. Maybe, tomorrow." she answered and let her arms wrap around Cho. "When we get back, we can watch some more precure and have that cake of yours."

Cho gave a nod and the two broke away. She made her way back to Parasimon, giving a wave as Airu headed further into the shopping district.

.

Evil TK knew.

Maybe it was in the way the air felt different at the train station. Or perhaps it was the note he had gotten earlier that day. Whatever the case, it definitely wasn't going to be sunshine and lollipops.

"Not going to lie," the gentlemanly asshole remarked, his hand already on his pistol. "Feels kind of odd to have you of all people as the narrator."

Offscreen, the narrator let out a nervous chuckle.

I rather have my wife be the one handling this, if I'm being honest here. She was usually more level headed when it comes to things like this.

"There you are."

Before our former protagonist could really answer our narrator's question, the timekeeper of all people showed up. While the gunshot wounds were still quite visible from their last meeting, something about him seemed… different.

"Wonderful." TK muttered, carefully pulling his gun out and pointing it towards his longtime rival. "What is it this time?"

The timekeeper took a deep breath.

"For starters, put that gun of yours down." he countered, pulling out a tape measure of all things and made his way over. "I have someone I need to grab and some measurements to be taken. Not exactly in that order."

That remark got the timekeeper a confused look. Especially since the narrator didn't quite have the best grasp on what was even going on either. So they listened.

"That still doesn't explain how you're back from the dead." TK continued, tightening the grip on his gun. "Or am I talking to some weird past version?"

No answer, just the casual approach of the timekeeper.

"Now, I need you to put down the gun. You don't want this to be off by an inch at a later date, do you?"

Reluctantly, TK holstered his pistol and let his attention return to the timekeeper.

"So, how have you been?" the gentlemanly asshole muttered, watching his opponent's expression change.

"Wonderful. Especially that 'not-being-dead' part. You should try it."

TK went for a left hook. He was unsuccessful, but did force the timekeeper to intercept it.

"Though for real, our end is just around the corner."

The words spill out from his mouth and silence falls over the area. Their gazes meet and the two look away. Thankfully, the timekeeper had all the measurements he would ever need.

"I wish you the best of luck, Talia." the timekeeper remarked and walked away.

* * *

On our next date: Cho deals with some alone time.


	16. All dressed up...

I don't own digimon.

* * *

Date 16

All dressed up...

Compared to the ride to the shopping district, the ride home on felt… off. Maybe it was the burden of having to carry the stuff of two people. Or it could be the silence from not being attacked or getting chased by people.

But for Cho, it was probably the feeling of just loneliness. Up that point, she had spent nearly every waking moment of time with her girlfriend but now, Airu was gone. She had a job, something that she had forgotten to tell her at first. Not that she was mad in that regard, especially after the insanity that made up yesterday. It just would have been nice to have a bit of a heads up in that regard.

"It'll be alright." the baker thought, letting out a deep breath as she tried to not drop everything. While parasimon's body actually allowed for quite a bit of surface to carry goods on, that didn't stop the stuff from just falling down to the sidewalk if one wasn't careful. So Cho had to balance guiding the large spider and keeping everything on top of him. "She'll be home before you know it."

Eventually, the house came into view. Which meant that all Cho needed to do was guide her mount back towards the backyard. After such a joyous shopping trip, it felt like a dull end to the whole spectacle.

"Steady now."

Parasimon carefully transitioned from the pavement to the grass, making sure to take it as slowly as possible. At the shed, he came to a stop and watched his passenger dismount.

"Good job." Cho explained and watched the spider lay down. Which somehow didn't drop everything that he had been carrying at the moment. "Though, I'm not entirely certain how Sugar is going to get back."

For a brief second, she felt her heart beat a tiny bit faster. it felt like a dagger twisting into her heart. She wouldn't have been as mad if Airu had just came out and said it. But the trapper had kept it close to her chest, not caring for how she would feel. But she took a deep breath and grabbed the first round of bags, carefully making her way to the screen door. There, she dropped a bag and carefully opened it. But any chance of quiet, peaceful return were quickly shattered.

"Welcome back, Cho." Lilithmon greeted as she watched the baker bring some of the grocery bags She was still leafing through a magazine, but I'm not entirely certain if this is the same one or not. "Where's Airu?"

Cho let out a deep breath, her gaze focusing on her cosplay pikachu plush over the mega. She gave plush a squeeze and deposited

"I don't want to talk about it." the baker answered and went to grab the next bag. It didn't take her too long, judging by just the page or two that Lilithmon had flipped in that stretch of time. "It was work or something."

"Did she tell you where exactly she was working?" the mega inquired, cracking a smile after. "For all you know, she's just playing with your heart and going off to someone else to truly have."

The dagger in Cho's heart threatens to drive itself even deeper.

"Shut up." Cho growled and made her way towards the door. "Sugar would never do that."

A laugh was the answer she got, followed by a smile.  
"How can you be so sure?" her opponent countered, the smile on her face growing even wider. It looked quite punchable. "This could all be a game to her. And you-"

Before Lilithmon had a chance to really finish that wonderful remark, she found herself facing down Cho's rake. No blow seemed to come, the dagger inching slightly out.  
"Shut. Up."  
And with that, Cho stormed out.

The next couple trips went far better than the second one. Of course, that could be just chalked up to Lilithmon learning to shut her mouth and dropping the subject for the moment.

"Phew." the baker thought and made her way upstairs, clutching her charred clothes to the best of her abilities. For the moment, she could take this 'break' as a chance to try some new outfits and make a place for her new stuff. Maybe even do something about the 'dagger' in her heart. "Sugar hasn't forgotten about me. I just know it."

But, those words still stung quite a bit. Even as Airu's door came into view, dread seemed ready to form within her as the dagger threatened once more to slide even deeper. She pushed on, letting her hand grab hold of the doorknob. Carefully, Cho gave it a twist and pulled it open.

Inside, things were pretty much in the same state as they had left them. The bed could probably do with the covers being made and the pillows put back on, while the box of dolls needed to be put back wherever Airu had chosen. Those were tasks that could be done later, however.

Or not, since Cho decided she was at least going to make the bed. Even if she was going to be the only one using it.

"Much better." she thought, stripping out of her clothes and setting the stuff she got on the bed. Then it was time to really look that sort of stuff over.

The first outfit appeared to be a blue sundress. It reminded her a bit of the leotard she usually wore along with the stuff Airu liked wearing. Compared to her old outfit, this one was all ruffly with a couple frills thrown in for good measure. If they had swung by a shoe shop, they could have picked a nice pair of sandals. Maybe something leather-related.

If you ask me, we already have enough people wandering around in those sort of outfits. I will admit, it's better than the other usual combo, the plain t-shirt and shorts.

"Huh." Cho thought and let her focus turn to the next pile. "Hmm…"

The next outfit was a t-shirt and shorts combo. At the very least, they had picked out a shirt that at least had something on it. Why this is so hard for everyone else to understand is beyond me. Do the places where they shop not sell those sorts of options? This isn't rocket science! Just shirt shopping. But no matter.

The third and hopefully final outfit reminded her of Mirai from the precure show they had been watching. It even came with a purse to hold a stuffed animal in. Cho decided on the cosplay pikachu plush for the moment. Mofurun could take up the spot later. Or maybe not. Kind of depended on how Cho was feeling in that particular moment.

"Which one would Airu like more?" she thought, only for a dumb idea to come to mind. So she cleared her throat and ran over to the bathroom, styling her hair as best she could to match that of Mirai from Maho Girls Precure. And I have to say, doesn't look half bad. Which is kind of surprising. You wouldn't suspect a baker of being that good when it came to styling hair. But never mind that, we have an excuse to be an entirely different character.

Cho cracked a smile, taking a deep breath right after.

"Mofurun, what do you want to do?" Cho chumed, doing her best impression. It wasn't half bad. I could believe it. " "Should we go and see if Riko is back yet?"

She ran back to the bedroom and stared out towards the window. But there was no Riko, I mean Airu. Still too early. Sadly.

So she grabbed one of the linkle sticks and began to wave it about.

"Cure ra pa! Riko ,come home!"

The magic doesn't work like that. If it did, Airu would have actually appeared and I wouldn't need to be making metaphors in regards to knives.

"Stop ruining my fantasy with your reality." Cho muttered, doing her best to keep it together. Though, getting a photo might make things better. But that brought its own set of problems. Such as not having a phone. As tempting as it might have been to just ask Airu for her's, she might have needed it for other things. Like calling people. Wait. What sort of business would just call their employees in out of the blue? Something retail, maybe? And there's really only one place that can really do that.

"Please come home, Riko." Cho mumbled, the knife sliding back in. It hurt even more now, a reminder of the distance that seemed to seperate would, if not for a knock on the door.

"Yes?" Cho inquired and watched the door open, revealing it to be Mrs Suzaki.

"There you are." the woman remarked as she sat herself down on Airu's bed. "I heard from Lilithmon that you just got back. Is there anything I can do for you?"

Cho took a deep breath, letting her focus reluctantly shift towards the floor. Given the choice, she probably would have prefered to just have her girlfriend's mom leave her alone. But in this instant, it was probably for the best not to.

"I'm guessing this is about my daughter?" she inquired, carefully sitting herself down on the bed. Cho sat beside her, unsure of how to feel. Sure, it would be quite easy to be open to Mrs Suzaki, but would she approve of their relationship? All this could do was bring the dagger just a bit closer, maybe even resulting in a broken heart. I doubt either of us want that, but this is Cho's call. Not mine.

"Yes." Cho finally answered, her gaze focusing in on the person beside her. "Could you maybe… take a photo of me?"

Mrs Suzaki gave a nod and pulled her digivice out. Why neither she or her daughter have actual phones is beyond me. Though, I don't have one either. So what do I even know?

"Of course."

After a minute or two of navigating through the general update section of the device, they were ready.

"Say cheese!" Mrs Suzaki announced and watched Cho crack a smile. While a bit forced, it got across the feelings that she wanted Airu to see.

"Cheese."

Of course, Cho hadn't been expecting the camera to have a flash option, so her vision was a little muddled. Hopefully that doesn't translate into the photo itself.

"What do you think?"

Once her eyesight had finally returned to normal, the baker took the photo in. The picture was one of those vertical slices with her standing in the middle. She was dressed up like Mirai, with Mofurun hanging in her bag.

"I like it." Cho answered, only for Airu's mom to hand over the phone. "I'm guessing you want me to send it?"

"Yep."

Cho let her gaze focus on the device's tiny touchscreen keyboard. With everyone having a smartphone these days, you would think that the keyboard aspect of them would be a whole lot better. But between autocorrect and keys designed for what seems like baby hands, it was quite a challenge for the baker.

"Dang it." she mumbled and retyped the message for a second time.

_Amazoneko logged in._

_Amazoneko poked TrapperAiru._

_Amazoneko: Cho here. What do you think?_

After, she click 'send' and waited. At first, it seemed like her girlfriend was just avoiding her at the moment, possibly because work didn't allow cell phone use. But eventually…

_TrapperAiru logged in._

_TrapperAiru: I like it!_

Cho perked up, almost blushing to some extent.

"Aw…" she thought and cradled the phone to her chest. After, she handed the device back. "Would you mind if I baked something for your daughter?"  
Mrs Suzaki held a hand to her chin and looked Cho over.

"Of course." Mrs Suzaki answered and motioned for the baker to follow her. "If I remember right, she occasionally makes reference to something called 'Bunny Shortcake' or something like that. I think it's from that precure show she's always watching."

"Understood." Cho answered and carefully made her way over to her bags, grabbing a couple of them. "There we go."

The dagger's hold seemed to fade away, but not quite all the way. For now, that was good enough.

* * *

On our next date: Let's bake, shall we?


	17. Piece of Cake

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Feeling refreshed, Cho made her way back downstairs. Sure, she probably had more than enough ingredients to make this 'Bunny Shortcake', but thinking that without actually knowing was an easy way to jinx oneself.

All the stuff still sat on the table, except for the cold stuff. That stuff had been put into the fridge.

"Good thing I didn't put stuff away." Cho thought, giving everything a quick once over. "Though, I should probably check what even goes into this 'Bunny Shortcake'."

So she shifted her attention from the table and to the couch. After sitting herself down, she turned the laptop on. While Mahoutsukai Precure had been paused, Airu taken the time to minimize everything. Which let the trapper show off her background of Cure Miracle and Magical in their 'Diamond' forms. They looked quite nice. Maybe it'll one day get replaced with a picture of her and Airu. Yeah, that sounded nice.

But that wasn't what the baker had opened up the laptop for. No, it was to find a recipe for the elusive 'Bunny Shortcake'. A stab in the dark at the icons later, the baker managed to navigate herself onto the internet.

"Let's see here." Cho whispered, bouncing from link to link with little in the way of what she was exactly looking for. Sure, there were a whole bunch of videos on this supposed treat, but no written instructions on how to make it. "Fine then. I guess this video will do."

Carefully, the baker picked the laptop up and carried it over to the kitchen, plugging the laptop in and placed it in a spot where it wouldn't be disturbed during the baking process. After that, it was finding a bowl to mix everything in. A quick check of the cupboards later revealed nothing in the way of mixing bowls.

"Here you go."

Cho turned around, finding Hiroshi holding up a steel mixing bowl. Judging by the way he looked half tired, the princess pajamas seem like something of an afterthought. Or maybe that's intentional. They do look cute on him. Especially that little hood. Can I see it, please?

"I guess." Hiroshi muttered, setting the mixing bowl down and put the hood up. Which gave him ears like hello kitty. "Thanks."

After, he pulled the hood back down and picked the bowl back up.

"Would this work for you?" he inquired, watching Cho look inside. But instead of finding a can of snake nuts or some other stupid gag item, there was nothing in there. "I heard sis wasn't back, but you were. Mom doesn't really bake that often."

Cho gave a nod, accepting this gift. Which got her an apron as well.

"This should be your size, I think." Hiroshi shouted and watched Cho slip it over her clothes. "I'll leave you to do your stuff."  
Cho gave him a nod, setting the mixing bowl on the opposite counter. After, her attention returned to the laptop. She gave the video a click, only to pause it and play it again. "The video starts off with two eggs…"

So the baker walked over to the fridge and opened it up, finding a partially filled egg carton. She grabbed that, getting to work at cracking them. While it took Cho a couple attempts, she eventually got the eggs cracked. These were deposited into the bowl, with the time taken to make sure that no egg shells were in the mix.

Her gaze then shifted back to the video, where the person making this was adding flour with a mixing cup. Which meant going over to her bags and pulling a suitable one out and then go search for whatever the Suzaki's thought was best to keep their flour in. Which in this case, was a large jar made to look like one of those kitties with the oval-shaped coins. It was kind of cute.

A bit of careful pouring from the jar to the measuring cup to the bowl later, it was time to mix it all up with a mixer of some sort. Sure, the person in the video was using a hand mixer, but Cho decided upon the mixer that the bowl looked to go with.

"Here goes nothing."

At first, it seemed like a flour cloud was incoming. Thankfully, this was not the case. It did take quite a bit before the mixture was ready for the next steps. Which was pouring in salt, followed by some sugar. Following this, they wanted you to drizzle in a bunch of melted butter. Then you needed to mix it with a spatula. Why it

"Here goes nothing."

After setting the oven to what she believed was the proper temperature and time, Cho focused on the frosting side of things. After getting out the frosting she had got earlier, the baker made sure to check out the pantry for anything of use. A quick search of the closet later, her answer was… not really.

Of course, getting it all into a piping bag was a different story entirely. Another trip to her bags later,

"There we go." Cho mumbled, right as her timer went off. She pulled the cake out…

And it was not burnt. I would call that a complete success. "Phew."

Following the video, she carefully cut the cake in two and got to frosting it.

"Come on!"

Of course, the frosting decided that it was going to be a pain in the butt at this particular moment. But through a mix of taunting the inanimate object and squeezing, Cho managed to get the piping bag working again. Not that I recommend that course of action when your piping bag jams up. Next came the strawberries, which required removing their leaves. Why they couldn't just come without that part is beyond me.

A bit more piping action later, the upper half of the cake went on. Which meant more icing action.

"Do I really want to go that fancy?" the baker thought and looked at the top of the cake, which was currently topped with the purple icing she had bought at the supermarket. "Maybe."

Carefully, she drew an outline of a rabbit's face with the white icing, following it up by filling it in a bit of pink she had found in the pantry. Next was the ear, which she decided would be red. That just left the face of this bunny.

After a bit of back and forth, she decided on chocolate chips for the nose with a dot of pink for the nose.

"Perfect."

All that was left to do, was just put the cake in the fridge. Which was the same exact moment everyone else wanted to be in the kitchen. It wasn't anywhere close to lunch, maybe. But you know. Not that such a fact ever really stops people.

"Let me help you with that." Jesmon remarked and teleported the cake... somewhere. "It's in the fridge now, with a nice little note."

"Uh… thanks?" Cho whispered, watching Jesmon teleport back to somewhere else.

After a bit of clean-up, the baker stashed her baking stuff in a nearby cupboard and put Airu's laptop back where she had originally found it. All that was left now was to just wait for her girlfriend to return.

Slowly, late morning turned to noon, which eventually became evening. Dinner came then, a much more restrained affair of leftovers from the previous night.

"Are you going to have anything, Cho?"

Cho looked up, finding Mrs Suzaki sitting across from her. The rest of the family was there as well, except for the one person the baker actually wanted to see. I guess it wasn't her chance yet.

"I was going to wait." she answered. "But, thank you for asking."

While they ate, she watched. Sure, a bite or two may have been consumed in that time. That was just to conserve her energy. Nothing more, nothing less.

Even when the chocolate cake came out, the baker continued her vow of mostly hunger. When the chocolate cake was finished, the rest of the family got up and continued with their day.

"Just a little longer." Cho remarked as silence returned to the home. At first, it was kind of cool. Normally, she preferred to be in bed by the time the stars came out. But tonight, she made a bit of an exception and maybe snuck a watch of an episode of Maho Girls. I guess I can wait to cover it. Maybe tomorrow? "She'll be here soon."

Her gaze turned to the nearby oven clock. While the numbers were quite visible, she didn't want to believe the current time.

"Come on, Sugar."

Her eyes began to grow heavy as sleep pulled her away to a lovely dream. Well, it didn't start so lovely. Especially since Cho found herself with an actual dagger in the heart. I think that's a little too literal. Even for us.

It would seem that this was her fate, broken without a heart. Or was it?

"There you are." a familiar voice whispered, their hands carefully gripping the dagger. "I'm sorry I was gone for the entire day."

Slowly, Cho opened her eyes. Airu was currently standing over her, dressed in an outfit reminiscent of Riko's from Mahoutsukai precure. Unlike Cho, she didn't quite have enough hair to quite replicate the magician's hairstyle.

"Sorry about that." the trapper explained and looked over to her partner. "Having you been waiting for me this whole time?"  
She got a quick nod.

"Silly Cho." she whispered and made her way over to the fridge, pulling it open. "You shouldn't have."

Carefully, the two pulled their meals out along with the cake. Compared to yesterday's day dinner, things felt different. More intimate, as one could put it.

"So how was work?" Cho inquired, getting ready to munch down on some potatoes.

"Alright." Airu answered. "Yasyamon dropped off some wigs for us as a present and I bought a saddle and saddlebags for Parasimon."

Hearing his name, the spider let out a happy bark. Which didn't wake candlemon up, somehow.

"Was it expensive?"

"Not really." Airu continued. "Just came out of my paycheck."

"Oh." Cho remarked and let her gaze focus back on her girlfriend. "What are your days you do have work on?"

Airu let out a deep breath.

"I'm on part-time. Which to my employers means, whenever they need an extra person. I get called in."

That's not how part-time works, unless you're with that dark emporium place.

"How did you know?" Airu shouted, only for the answer to dawn on her seconds later. "Oh."

Cho gave her a look.

"The Dark Emporium?" she whispered, letting the title roll off her tongue. While it sounded silly, there had to be some legitimate reason for Airu's choice of working there. "What do they sell, Sugar?"

Airu's gaze shifted towards the table for a brief second, returning back to Cho in an instant.

"Everything."

That's probably the best way to put it. If you need it, the dark emporium has it. Within reason, of course. They don't sell slaves - human ones at least. Or handle any contracts that involve murder. They want to stay in business. Not ruin people

"Huh…" Cho whispered and turned to face the cake. "Can I cut you a slice, Sugar?"

Airu gave a nod, watching her girlfriend slice into the cake. She hands over her plate, getting one of the ears in return. After, Cho handed the plate back and watched. After all, this was the moment of truth. The first bite of her cooking. This was a make or break moment.

"It's delicious." the trapper answered and cut away a part to eat next. "I can't wait to try what you make next."

Cho's face blushed a bright shade of pink. She tried to hide it, only for her girlfriend's focus to be right on it.

"Thanks, Sugar."

With that, the baker cut herself a piece and got to eating. For a first time bake, it was nothing short of delicious. Being hungry could be the result of this, or just the fact that it had been baked for just two people.

"Ready for bed then?" Airu called out, getting a nod in return.

The walk back upstairs was far more peaceful this time around, the dagger now long gone. In its place, was relief. A far better replacement, if you ask me.

Back in their room, our two heroines got changed into their pajamas. Then it was off to bed for some well-deserved rest.

.

Ryouma was not one for sneaking.

If anything, his actual form would've suggested otherwise. But 'he' preferred a much more loud approach. Which was totally why he was up on the roof of the Suzaki's. There just had to be a place to get in.

"Bingo."

Carefully, they slip in. But I'm not entirely sure that was a good idea.

* * *

On our next date: We meet our last main character. Took us long enough.


	18. Chatty Cathy

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Compared to the previous day, both girls actually managed to sleep in.

Though, I suspect this is more of a result of being up till midnight than anything else. It also throws my sleep schedule off. Thanks for that. It's hard enough to lie, let alone in sign language.

But it would seem that our heroines didn't quite hear that remark. Fine by me.

"Ugh…" Airu remarked as her eyes shot open, carefully scanning it over. The room was still the same as before, with the only real addition being Cho's clothes now hanging beside her own. "Cho, are you up?"

Cho slowly roused to consciousness, turning to face her girlfriend.

"Yup." the baker answered and let her gaze focus on Airu. "What's wrong, Sugar?"

Airu held a finger to her mouth, making the shush motion. In turn, that got her a nod.

"I feel like we're being watched." Airu answered and took a deep breath. She gave the room another once over, only to come up empty again. She looked towards Cho giving her a reluctant nod. Maybe she'll have better luck.

"You might be right, Sugar." the baker whispered and carefully held her left hand out, letting it get engulfed in flame. I guess our baker here has an ace or two up her sleeve. Learn that school?

"Yeah." the baker whispered, catching what appeared to be a sparkle in her girlfriend's eyes. "That all I know, Sugar."

Cho flung it towards the ceiling, watching what appeared to be a tall humanoid fall to the floor. On closer inspection, this person had gone for black pantsuit with a butt zipper of all things. The better question is, how exactly would that work? Everytime you sit down, you would have to deal with a piece of metal right in the middle of a seat. Then there's general bathroom use, with you having to pretty much remove your pants whenever nature called.

Outside of that, a head of greyish silver hair hung down while a pair of green eyes had their focus on the ceiling. They were probably trying to get reoriented. A fall like that could really hurt.

"Oh crap." their assailant remarked and began to unzip their butt zipper, revealing a small girl. She kind of looked like a doll. Didn't explain why she had gone with another pantsuit of all things. Or why she even looked exactly like the suit she was wearing. That's just odd. "You could at least make an attempt to be terrified of me."

Both Airu and Cho looked toward her, actually taking the time to get dressed. That turned out to be pullovers.

"Though if it helps, there's a woman in your closet playing with a doll."

Our heroine's attention turned to the closet, where one could just make out Lilithmon playing with one of Airu's cure dolls. In this case, it was a girl with fluorescent yellow twintails dressed in some flower dress. That didn't explain her risque sleepwear that made one wonder if they were also participating in questionable activities. Not that she was mind you, considering the storyline they went with her. It aged like milk. Thankfully, they got better.

Not that such an opinion really seemed to get our heroines attention. No, they were mad that Lilithmon was playing with one of Airu's dolls and had decided to do it in their closet of all places.

"Please leave." Airu remarked and let out a deep breath, watching her mother's partner reluctantly comply. After, the duo returned their attention to the intruder. "Care to tell us why you are in our room?"

The doll stayed silent, mumbling something to herself.

"Uh…" Cho remarked and got up, keeping her focus on the doll. "We're not going to let you out until you talk to us."

All that got her was a snarl.

"Then I'll just kill you!" their opponent announced and began pounding at their feet. Which was quite funny, to be honest with you.

"Shut up!"

Carefully, Airu picked her up and placed her on one of the nearby shelves. Thankfully, there were no cure dolls for the girl to throw at them.

"Slut!" the doll screamed and began flinging precure dolls towards Airu. "You tote yourself to all the girls don't you?"

Offscreen, our narrator went off to get her wife. Less because that was the person who should be narrating this, but more because she needed some support. It's been a long day and this had kinda been the last straw.

"Good job, you broke the narrator." Cho remarked and let her focus return to the doll. "Could you least try to tone your inner sailor, Miss…"

"Ryouma."

Carefully, the doll jumped from the shelf and back onto the bed. There, she slipped back into her bodysuit and attempted to put up a fight. Which ended quite quickly via tambourine. Which Lilithmon had left behind for some reason. It also knocked her back out of the bodysuit.

"Okay…" Airu remarked as Cho picked their intruder up. "I guess we can go down in just our pajamas."

Carefully, the duo exited their room. Which, gave the trapper more than enough time to admire her girlfriend's new pajamas and their black cat pattern.

"They look stupid and your opinion is poo-poo." Ryouma announced, only to get another hit with the tambourine. "Doo Doo head. Doo doo head!"

You could really learn to shut up.

"Slut."

Both Airu and Cho took a deep breath.

"I'm not entirely sure how that would help, which means that you're probably the other narrator."

No answer. But that was because they were wrong in that regard. I'm just the backup. Big difference.

"Maybe it was the line earlier about the previous narrator leaving the room in response to Ryouma opening her mouth?" Cho added.

Sorry about that. My wife is out and about at the moment. So I'll have to manage this by myself at the moment.

But such an announcement did not change our chatbot's attitude. If anything, it made it even worse. I'm not even sure how that's even possible.

"Up yours!" Ryouma announced, having decided that she was just going to be a malicious chatbot. Which if you ask me at least, is a really good way to get yourself killed. Even with the fall of the order, a good chunk of this group still itches for a fight. And they don't really care who they get to take on and stuff. "Fall down to the depths of hell below, witches!"  
Another slap of the tambourine later, it was off to Hiroshi's room. Because you know, that was where you needed to go next. Not down the stairs and stuff. Sense is overrated in this world.

"Morning, Sis." Hiroshi called out, quickly finding himself looking down upon Ryouma. "Can I help you, Miss dolly?"

Ryouma didn't answer, only to be picked up by the boy and carried into his room. While an attempt at getting loose was made, Hiroshi had a far tighter grip than what our chatbot was expecting.

The trip didn't last long, with the two eventually reaching the bed and sitting down. Hiroshi sat down, which forced

"Would you like your hair brushed?" Hiroshi continued and held out a dolly-sized hairbrush. I

Though, I don't think that our little chatbot here was that interested. Scratch that. She might have been interested, but there was no way in heck that she was going to let her face show it.

"Maybe some other time." Ryouma announced and scurried over to the doorframe. She made one glance towards Hiroshi and took a deep breath. While the boy looked a little bit sad, that didn't really matter to her. "Sorry about this."

But Hiroshi shook his head.

"Can I play with you later then?" he inquired, getting a very reluctant nod. "See you later then?"

Ryouma made her exit, Airu and Cho now finally on their

they were down the stairs and making their way towards the dining room table.

"You've activated my trap, fools!"

Both Jesmon and Lilithmon rolled their eyes, with the latter switching to her Ophanimon form. Which, was dressed in a seafoam green nightgown without the helmet atop her head. Which I always found annoying. Especially since it meant wearing a stupid blonde wig a majority of the time and having to shift it back in place constantly. Fuck bald caps.

"I sincerely doubt that." the angel remarked and let out a slight chuckle. "I've killed enough of your kind to know how to deal with this."

"Shut up, Booby Lady!"

Ophanimon groaned, picking Ryouma up.

"Let me down! Let me down!" the doll screamed and began thrashing about, almost managing to bite the angel.

"You don't know when to shut up, do you?" Jesmon remarked and got a 'phhbt' from their prisoner.

"Are mom and dad up yet?" Airu inquired and took a deep breath, right as Ryouma let out a scream.

Right on cue, both of her parents walked up. For this occasion, they too were dressed in their pajamas. Though, Mrs Suzaki had made an effort to put some makeup on for some reason. Not that it explained the facial mask on Airu's father. Weirdo.

"Miss Amazoneko, the Queen of Dolls wishes to see you all." Ryouma remarked, finally saying something that didn't sound like it was out of a chatbot. "As her 'envoy' or whatever, she has urgent news to speak of."

Mrs Suzaki wasn't in the mood. No, her nails were of a higher priority than this.

"Oh." she remarked and let her gaze focus in on Airu and Cho. "I have some urgent business to attend too, so I send my daughter and her girlfriend in my friends and I's place."

That isn't how negotiations works, like at all. I don't think you really want to do that. Especially since you're showing quite a bit of disrespect to this queen of dolls person.

"Shut it." Mrs Suzaki whispered and cracked a fake-looking smile. "Now, get dre-"

Before she could even finish that sentence, a bark came forth Ryouma's pockets and the head of a pug popped out. It looked healthy, not that it really explained how it even got there in the first place.

"Bad doggy." Ryouma announced as the pug popped out, flung a chakram out from somewhere and ran off. "Get back here this instant!"

Good luck on that. I doubt a demon lord would really listen.

Ryouma stormed off, or at least attempted to. It didn't help that she got hit by the chakram on its return trip.

"You're coming with us." Airu remarked and let out a sigh, taking the doll off Ophanimon's hands for now.

.

"So let me get this straight." Sachiko remarked. "Evil TK is gone, so you're the one narrating?"

Chaos nodded.

"And you were actually doing quite well, until this doll thing came up and started being a complete dick?"

Another nod, this one being followed by some sign language.

"So you want me to narrate this… fic with you."

Another nod.

"Fine." Sachiko whispered, only to be jumped by her more than eager wife. "Just this once."

'Thank you!'

* * *

On our next date: Trying to work with Ryouma. Or something.


	19. Preparing for the coming storm

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

The walk upstairs was awful. Mostly because Ryouma was continuing to run her mouth in the presence of two narrators. Which I guess could be seen as a welcome change.

"That's nice." Ryouma muttered, not at all happy about any of this. "Now, can you just go to hell?"

That sounds like a wonderful idea. Maybe once this whole thing is done, a vacation will be in order. I can't think of the last time that I actually went there.

What about that one time.

Does that really count? If anything, you dragged everyone down there for some reason.

"That's not what I meant!"

Her comment fell on deaf ears as our heroines room came into view. Which might just be for the better.

"Hiroshi?" Airu called out watching her brother come back out. "Can I ask you a favor?"

Her brother walked over. Though, his gaze seemed to be focused more of Ryouma than that of her sister. Not that she seemed to mind it.

"What do you need, sis?" Hiroshi remarked, watching his sister take a deep breath. "You want me to keep track of Ryouma for a moment?"

A nod, followed by the handing over the chatbot doll.

"Yay." Ryouma muttered and was joyfully carried back into Hiroshi's room. Which left for a perfect chance for the duo to get dressed.

"Anything in particular that you want to wear today, sugar?" Cho inquired as they headed inside, just catching a glimpse of Ryouma getting her hair brushed by Hiroshi. She hadn't said a peep, so it looked like things were going well.

"The usual?" Airu joked, grabbing what looked to be to be a tank top and a pair of shorts. Both pink. Mind you, different shades of pink. She just has to be a rebel, doesn't she? Not that a pale pink tank top would be a perfect match for a set of magenta shorts. "How is that 'rebellious'?"

Her attention turned to Cho. But all that got her was a chuckle.

"I'm not entirely sure, Sugar." Cho answered, picking out the sundress she had gotten yesterday. While not as nice as what she wore yesterday, it would do the job quite nicely. Nor was it able to have her armor over it. Not that it seemed to bother the baker that much. I guess she's going armorless. A bold choice if I've ever seen one.

"If I really wanted to wear my armor, I could have refitted." she continued, giving it a quick glance and shifted her attention back to Airu. "Or I could just put it on you, Sugar."

"I think I would like silly in it, Cho." she remarked, slipping her backpack onto her back. After, the bear trap was carefully handed over. Hopefully, it won't spring open mid-walking. I would hate to see what it would do to a person when it's in the bag.

"Net."

Carefully, Cho handed over the balled-up net. While they hadn't really gotten much use out of it, the net was just nice to have on hand.

"Outside of snacks, we just need to grab some wax." Airu remarked as they headed towards the door.

"Snacks?"  
Cho made a glance towards her girlfriend. While they had the cake from last night, that was more of a desert rather than an actual snack. Wait. What sort of stuff did Airu like to snack on? She seemed like the sort of person to enjoy munching on sweet stuff over than anything salty. But that was only because all the instances of the baker seeing her girlfriend eat involved something sweet. Except for dinner. I think that's more of an exception than a rule.

"Uh…" the baker started. "Is there anything we have in the pantry that would be a good snack? Like those fish-shaped crackers or even those fruit gummies?"

Airu took a deep breath. While both of those choices make sense for an 'American', other cultures such as Japan have their own choices when it comes to snacks and everything else.

"Good to know." Cho whispered, her focus back on Airu. "Can you least show what snacks that you do want, Sugar?"

Airu nodded and opened her mouth, only for a loud splash to break the silence.

"I just wanted to give you a bath!" Hiroshi called out, followed by the slamming of a door. Airu and Cho made their way towards the bathroom, opening the door back up. Hiroshi stood in the middle of a massive mess. Rubber duckies had been flung all about, with soaps of all sorts sprayed on the walls. Water had been splashed about, making for quite the mess on the boy's hands.

"We are not friends!" Ryouma announced and began jumping up and down. She was also no longer in her weird pantsuit, having found a dress with a pair of mary janes. "You were trying to kill me, weren't you?!"

Hiroshi looked towards the ground, looking just about ready to tear up.

"I just wanted to give you a bath." Hiroshi continued, shooting his supposed friend a look. Ryouma doesn't return it. No, her attention was on Airu and Cho.

"You are both sluts who must fall by these bare hands of mine!" the doll announced and charged towards the duo, only to be held back with little effort by the trapper. So she went for the next best thing. Flinging ducks. It was about threatening as flashing the middle finger from the right hand.

So Airu tried to pick the doll up. Key word

"You little…"

Cho's face came quite close to Ryouma. Her eyes went fuzzy and she seemed to be foaming at the mouth. But, it was Airu's gaze that met her first.

"I get that you're angry at her, but that isn't going to help us out." the trapper explained and placed a finger on Cho's lips. "She didn't break the skin, but I should probably clean it at least."

The rage held within the baker seemed to subside, especially after a couple deep breaths.

"Better?"

Cho gave a nod.

"Do you think you can run down and put some toast in?"  
"Of course, sugar." Cho answered and ran on down. After, Airu washed her hands and turned her attention to Ryouma.

"Let me make this clear." the trapper whispered and held Ryouma near her face. "You ever attempt that again. If you do,"

Her gaze turned to Cho, who tried to emulate a tough gangster by cracking her knuckles. I guess it works? I would have just held the rake out.

"I'll let her on you. She isn't as nice as me."

Ryouma gulped.

"Is it that clear?"

"Yes." Ryouma remarked and gave the pair a nod. With that now solved, the trio cleaned the bathroom with Hiroshi's help.

"Thank you." Hiroshi explained, letting a smile form in his face. "Good luck on your trip."

Airu gave and headed for the stairs. Cho and Ryouma followed right behind, keeping up with trapper. Ryouma was being carried, so that probably has something to do with it.

Then it was off to the kitchen. Lilithmon had just finished making some toast and was going about deciding which particular jam or jelly she was going to go with.

"What do you two want on these?" she inquired, placing the pieces on a plate. "Or do you want to have them plain?"

Airu's gaze shifted towards the plate, carefully looking the toast over. Why is this such a hard decision? We highly doubt that what spread you put on the bread is going to cause some major catastrophe.

Thankfully, the trapper eventually made a decision on grape jelly. Which does sound kind of nice right now.

After they both were done munching on that, the duo's attention turned to the pantry.

"The snacks are here." Airu explained as she opened the pantry's door, revealing a bin of food. "Anything in particular you want?"

Cho looked her options over, grabbing some potato tubes and the japanese equivalent of fruit snacks. This stuff entered the backpack, with the girl's gazes shifting to the table. There, a box addressed to the two awaited.

"I'm guessing this is yours?" Cho remarked, carefully picked the box up. A quick cutting into the package later, we find a pair of wigs. They look perfect for those future Miracle and Magical cosplays. "Where did you get this, Sugar?"

Airu let out a chuckle.

"Yasyamon gave it to me as a 'keep-silent' gift or something."

I guess he's just a big sourpuss. Who didn't want his image of Ren to be shattered the way that it had. Even though it was more of the bomber's doing than anything else. But we digress.

Our two heroes quickly take the wigs upstairs, putting them with the rest of their cosplay stuff. Then it's back downstairs and outside.

"Here's is you wax." Candlemon explained, handing over a pair of jars. Airu slipped them into her backpack, getting onto to Parasimon right after. Cho was right behind, making sure that everything was secure and that Ryouma couldn't do anything stupid. "Safe travels!"

This time, the spider digimon headed off without a fuss.

Of course, someone seemed intent on causing trouble.

"Stop that." Airu muttered.

Ryouma ignored her, giving their mount a slight slap.

"Stop what?" she responded, not at all wanting any part of this.

"Messing with Parasimon, that's what." Cho explained and picked the doll up. "If you keep shouting out doggy and making all sorts of other loud noises, he'll get confused."

Ryouma just giggles.

In response to that, both our heroines let out a sigh and held back the urge to just fling their additional passenger into a nearby building. While tempting, flinging the messenger right now was not in their best interest. Especially when they were the only ones who knew where this 'Queen of Dolls' was even located.

"So is there anyone you can tell us about her?" Airu continued and watched Ryouma look away. "Or do you not know anything?"

Still no answer from the chatbot, who was now blowing spit bubbles to no one in particular.

"Why do you even care?" Ryouma muttered and flashed a stink eye. "You didn't even hear about this woman until I blurted it out to your mom."

Airu shot a quick glance to her girlfriend, who gave a nod in return. After, Cho took a deep breath and let her focus turn back to Ryouma.

"We just want a better picture of what we're getting into, that's all." the baker explained as got a glare in return. "If nothing else you could apologize to Sugar and I for all the things you said."

That seemed to shut the chatbot up for the moment, even if there was a couple mumbles under her breath about something.

"Sugar?" Cho remarked and took a deep breath.

Cho let her gaze turn to Airu.

"Yes, Cho?"

"While you were gone, I watched a tiny bit ahead."

A few seconds of silence follow.

"Oh. I'm fine with that." Airu answered and cracked a smile. "How far did you get?"

"I watched through the episode where Mirai and Riko go to that ice place and have that argument while waiting for you."

A nod. Which I guess makes sense here. An 'okay' probably be a better answer.

"Oh. That episode." the trapper continued. "Narrators, do you think we can get a rundown?"

Of course.

Having passed their first test, our heroines and their classmates get taken up to the mountains. There, they must warm a kettle. But their magic doesn't work in the cold, so Mirai and the other girls play a game. But Riko throws a full-on tsundere fit, which manages to backfire on her when Mirai manages to perform magic by herself for the first time. These two then get into an argument on top of being separated from the group. In a snowstorm no less. Yeah. After playing Mirai's game, Moforun discovers a linkle stone - an aquamarine. After some magical girl action in their ruby forms, they manage to acquire said jewel and Riko heats the kettle up. Which passes the second test. Also, they name their little magic baby 'Ha-chan'.

"Oh right." Airu remarked and took a deep breath. "I think that one is only used like once."

Spoilers! What if someone who is reading this wants to also watch Maho Girls?

"Why do it even matter to you two?"

Because we like going through this season with you guys.

Thankfully, the rest of their trip back to the shopping district went without any incident. Which one could count as a blessing, but didn't really feel like one at the moment for the duo. So Airu carefully steered their mount into a nearby alley. Once there, she stashed the saddle away and joined her girlfriend. Who at the moment, was helping a less than helpful Ryouma off of their spider mount.

"I can do it myself, idiot!" the doll announced and began punching at the baker. Which was effective as one would expect it to be. As in not. "Just die already!"

"Sure…" Cho whispered and turned her attention to Airu. "So where exactly is this dark emporium place, Sugar?"

Airu took a deep breath and sighed.

"It's less of a building and more a gateway." Airu started and shot Ryouma a quick glare. "I just have to find the right door and I'm in."

Her gaze fell to the ground.

"I'm sorry if that answer sounded misleading or possibly untr-"

Before Airu had a chance to finish that sentence, Cho carefully wrapped her up in a hug.

"Thank you for clarifying that." the baker explained and let out a sigh of relief. "It's better than nothing, Sugar."

Airu's face turned a nice shade of red while Ryouma let out a laugh.

"Truly a slut." she announced and cracked a smile. "I thought you two were better than that."

Both of her escorts let out a deep breath as the urge to strangle Ryouma grew. But before they had a chance to act on those desires, Ren walked up. Though, he was now sporting a long light bubblegum pink wig along with the dress he bought yesterday. Which made him sort of look like Yasyamon's little princess. Or would that be his own little princess? Has to be one of the two.

Yasyamon was right behind, getting a slight thumbs up from Airu. Which they responded with a death glare. Good to see he's on our side. Maybe.

"We could've walked. But no, you just had to give me a piggyback ride for some reason." Ren muttered and let his focus turn to Ryouma. Judging by the look that the bomber was getting right now, Airu and Cho were no longer enemy #1 on the doll's list.

"You're even worse!" the doll shouted and charged over to Ren. "You claim to be one thing, only to show yourself as another. Now fall!"

Ryouma charged at the bomber's ankles, who gave her a light kick away.

"I'll get you next time, mark my words!"

Both Airu and Ren let out a sigh.

"Sorry about that." the trapper remarked as Ren walked over.

"It's alright." the bomber answered and pulled his digivice out. "Want to trade phone numbers at least?"

Instead of giving a verbal response, Airu dug her digivice out and turned it on. What followed was the pair getting each other's numbers and sending a test text message in order to see if it was working right. After, their attention turned back to Ryouma.

"So what's up with her?" Ren inquired and watched his friend take a deep breath. But before she had a chance to open her mouth, a teenage boy jumped down from something and made a 'graceful' landing onto the pavement. By graceful, I mean he wasn't dead or close to death. That would make things far better for all involved.

"Do I feel it? Don't I?" the numbskull announced as he dusted himself off, letting all to see his black shirt and yellow baggy shorts. The whole look was completed when one saw his stupid black hat covering up a head of shaggy blonde hair and blue eyes. "I totally do!"

Silence fell over the general area.

"Who are you?" Cho remarked and watched this strange boy crack a smile.

"I'm Astra, Apptuber Extrodinaire!"

* * *

On our next date: Dealing with the wonderful human being known as Astra.


	20. What a doll

I don't own digimon.

Out of all the people who could possibly show up here, it just had to be him. We couldn't have gotten Rei, Eri maybe? Heck, I would settle for Yuujin being here. Even if he is a boring piece of robot flesh.

Don't get me wrong, while I don't quite agree with my creator's opinion that this 'chosen' should have been thrown into a far-off corner never to be seen again, he really should've been a side character. Like seriously, how the fuck does one create a character whose entire arc consists of giving other characters that are not him an actual backstory and resolution. Outside of him being an agent of chaos in the face of Leviathan. That shouldn't be possible. I think.

"I can't hear you!" Astra announced as his partner, a giant golden storm cloud for some reason floated on down. "I didn't badmouth your place! At least give me some respect on that front."

Respect is something earned, not asked for. Are you sure that's what you want?

"Absolutely!"

After, his attention returned to his partner. As if there was somehow a camera none of our heroines could actually see and it's focus was just on these two.

"What now, Astra?" the cloud appmon remarked and got a thumbs-up from Astra.

"Just wait, Ouranosmon." the apptuber continued. "These idiots will make for a wonderful show."

_Now scanning…_

_Loading Entry…_

**Ouranosmon**

**God; Arousal**

**Special Moves: Astral Eruption, Halo Halo**

**.**

**Ouranosmon: No Oranosmon, no life!**

**Ryouma: Go away, you ball of puss!**

**Airu: Uh…**

_Scan Complete._

"Okay then." Cho remarked and let her focus turn to her girlfriend. "What's the plan, Sugar?"

Airu took a deep breath.

"For the moment, we figure out why he's here then just work from there."" the trapper remarked and their gazes focused on that man. But that attention wasn't returned by the apptuber. His attention was on the bomber. Who wanted no part of this dude. And I can't blame him.

"Is there a Mr Ryouma nearby?" Astra announced and looked towards Ryouma. "You don't look like him."

His gaze shifted over to Ren. While I doubt he has any idea what an apptuber even is, he looked quite ready to be done with Astra. Actually, all of them looked like they had their fair share of him. Not that this has ever stopped the apptuber in the past.

"Not him at all." he continued and got quite close to the bomber, his hand moving towards a place it most definitely shouldn't be. "I wonder…"

But before he had a chance to wonder about this thought much further, he got a punch to the groin. Serves him right.

"You little…" Astra screamed and made a glance towards Ouranosmon. "I was hoping to do this the easy way. But you've pushed too far."

Ren shot the boy a glare and pushed him away. But then he follows it up by fishing out a grenade from inside his dress. Doing a really great job at freeing yourself from those sorts of remarks.

"No comment." Ren muttered and watched the explosive blow up. It did far too little damage to actually do anything. A good effort, but not enough. Sadly

But before Astra had a chance to go through with the supposed 'hard way', Ryouma grabbed hold of the boy's pants and climbed up. Once she had reached the head, she took a seat. Or would it be a laying on top of his head? Oh well.

"If you're looking for me, I'm on top of you."

Carefully, Astra picked the doll up and held

"Wait, I was told you were a boy." the apptuber remarked and got a shrug from his partner. "What?"

"Nothing." Ouranosmon remarked, letting out a snicker afterwards. Though, his attention then turned to Cho. "Hey, Astra!"

"Yeah, Ouranosmon? Astra answered and placed Ryouma down, getting a slap to the leg. This is just getting silly. "What is it?"

"Didn't we just review a doll that looked kind of like her?"

Both Airu and Cho's gaze shot over to this mysterious duo, unsure of what to really make of this.

"Yeah. Wasn't it that weird paid promotion with Eri?"

Astra gave a nod and placed a finger to his chin.

"That's the one." he remarked, only to stop. "It was Chloe from the relaunched Mage Girls line, I think."

Okay. That's a weird coincidence. Though, it's nice to see that Kaze's stuff is still getting attention. We should get our own set.

Offscreen, Chaos got a look from her wife. While a set of dolls would probably look nice, I doubt it would be as nice as that large teddy bear she was babbling on about the other day.

"Doll?" Cho whispered and turned her gaze to Airu. The trapper stared back, unsure as her girlfriend was. "Sugar, do you know anything about this?"

Airu shook her head, her attention turning to Astra. While the trapper was willing to play along, she had her limits. Limits that were being quickly approached at this rate.

"How can you be so certain?" the trapper added, carefully digging into her backpack. "I can assure you that Cho is not a doll."

Astra just rolled his eyes.

"Prove it then!" the apptuber announced. He then followed it up with a bit of chest pounding, then shoving the camera into Airu's face. "Or you'll be a liar all over the internet. Your reputation will crumble to nothingness. All that sort of wonderful stuff."

I feel like being on the internet is the least of her worries. Getting drugged filled candy when you didn't ask for it is a far greater concern. Especially if it's addressed directly from the internet to you. Then there's a problem.

"If Cho was a doll, she wouldn't need to eat. Or drink." she countered, handing Cho what looked to be a bottle of water. The baker took a quick sip and gave the bottle back.

"Does that settle this debacle?" Airu inquired, only for Astra to shake his head. If anything, I'm not entirely sure how proving Cho is a doll or not actually proves anything. She could be her own mother for all we know and even care. It still wouldn't change the fact that she's Airu partner. This idiot is just trying to push your buttons for the sake of pushing buttons.

"Now, have her eat something."

Cho muttered something under her breath, letting her gaze shift away from Astra and to the nearby area. Out in the distance, one could just make a weird little man with a tv for a head at the edge of a nearby roof.

While Astra continued to argue with her girlfriend, the baker let a small ball of fire form in her hands and flung the projectile towards her target. For as straight as her aim may have possibly been, the fireball didn't hit the target and instead hit just below the ledge. Freaked out, the tv man began to flail about as he lost his footing. A tumble through the air followed, with it landing right in front of Cho.

"Don't kill me…" the weird midget remarked, watching their attacker slowly approach. When Cho did get in front of them, the midget crumpled to the ground.

"I just want to talk to you." the baker answered and grabbed her rake, which she had left behind the day before. "Why are you watching us?"

The midget just stared at her. After, they did their best attempt at clearing their throat. It sounded more like one of those loud fans you put under a laptop to prevent it from overheating. A low hum of what we guess is that could still be heard.

"To keep an eye on you people, of course." the midget answered, getting a look in return. "While we could ignore you, our boss wants to know the full extent of your abilities."

Cho took a deep breath, only for her friends attention to focus on them. Though, Airu made her way over.

"He was spying on us, Sugar." the baker whispered and held the midget up. Astra ignored them, seeming more focused on the whole 'Cho-being-a-doll' or something like that. When you know, actually be helping investigate or something. Makes one wonder why the heck this person even a chosen? I get that he comes from a different place and all, but that doesn't excuse his assholery.

In response, Astra flipped it the bird. Which he probably taught millions of viewers on his apptube channel. Truly, this is a wonderful person that millions should give money too. No wonder he is seen as a wonderful source of good morals in the eyes of parents and authority.

"Just shut up." Astra mumbled and walked over to the midget, deciding that engaging in a fistfight a wonderful idea. Blow after blow he went, while his partner just watched on. The midget didn't answer this call, instead taking each blow without a word.

"Stop…" Airu mumbled and caught the attention of her partner. "It's not his fault."

They turned their attention to her.

"If you want someone to be mad at, be mad at me." she continued and watched Astra's attention shift to her. "Whatever I did, it can end right here."

The swish of what appeared to be a butterfly knife filled the air, with the weapon being pointed towards the trapper. For as threatening as it was, this feels… kind of melodramatic? Yeah, that. Like seriously Astra, this overkill.

But Astra doesn't listen.

"Fine the-"

But before Astra had a chance to go through with any of that, a piece of string had found a place on his neck and pulled back.

"Good riddance." Ouranosmon remarked and watched Ryouma climb back down, helping herself to whatever was in this idiot's pockets. Which in this case, was a tiny digivice and a spare minerva band. Which begs far more questions than we're willing to deal with in this moment. It'll probably sort itself out eventually.

"Okay…" Airu whispered and gave her girlfriend a slight tap. "Sorry about that, Cho."

Cho took a deep breath and let her arms wrap around the trapper, watching Airu's hand grab hold of her's.

"It's alright, Airu." she whispered and carefully shifted her gaze towards her girlfriend. "So what if there's some weird connection? Or even that your memories were altered and stuff."

Airu let out a chuckle. Though, I feel you should be far more worried about that than you are. Sure, it could just be that the extent is quite minor, there's still a chance that

"Thanks." the trapper remarked, letting out a deep breath. "I'll keep that in mind."

They made their way back towards their teammates, finding them dressing the still currently knocked-out Astra up in a dress. More specifically, the dress that Yasyamon got the other day. I would pay to have pictures done of that. Just saying.

"You going to be alright?" Ren asked and watched the trapper give a nod. "Good. Wouldn't be much of a fight if you were all down and stuff."

Cho shook her head, resisting the urge to let out a snicker. After, they let their attention return to Ryouma. At the moment, the doll was messing with the doll-size digivice. If I had to hazard a guess, it she was trying to figure out the mysterious activation sequence.

"If you don't mind me asking Ren, what did you have to do?" Airu inquired and got a groan from Ren.

"I don't want to talk about it." Ren whispered, letting his gaze fall to the ground. Of course, his partner was having none of that and pulled out his scrapbook. "Yasyamon…"

But the photographer was ignoring his partner for the moment and opened the book up. Inside, an entire page had devoted to what looked to be the bomber performing a magical girl transformation sequence. Except without the clothes changes and sparkles. Thankfully, the glitter was provided.

"You look really cute, Ren." Airu remarked and watched the bomber looked away.

"Thanks." he groaned, making an attempt to grab the scrapbook away from his partner. But try as he might, that book always moved right out of his grasp no matter what he did. Yasyamon then let out a laugh and slung his master on his back. "No, I do not want a piggyback ride!"

Airu and Cho watched on, occasionally let out a slight giggle and/or snicker. As tempting as it may be to join them in their fun, their focus was still fully on Ryouma and her digivice activation. By this point, it was just the doll spamming various phrases at the device in the hopes that something she said would do the job.

"Do you feel it? Don't I? I totally do!" Ryouma announced and watched the device's screen light up.

_Thank you for activating this digivice. All future activations now require that you hold your finger down on the screen._

"Thank god for that." she thought and began jumping and down in excitement. "We can go now."

Both Ren and Airu gave a nod.

"Want a ride, Sugar?" Cho inquired and watched Airu perk up. "I'll take that as a yes."

Carefully, Airu got up in the bakers arms and grabbed hold. Once Cho was certain that her girlfriend was snug, they headed off at a brisk jog.

* * *

On our next date: What a lovely birthday party, I do hope no one comes and ruins it...


	21. The last birthday present of Ren Tobari

I don’t own digimon.

* * *

 

 

Compared to the last trip here, the view was slightly different for Airu and Ren. 

The scenery was still exactly the same, but the two were now viewing it from somewhere slightly higher. The only difference seemed to be seeing the tops and bottoms of roofs. Which I guess is an advantage? It seems more like a disadvantage here.

“So where exactly are we going?” Ren inquired, watching Airu take a deep breath.

“My mom, who is a chosen or something, got a summons from this queen of dolls person.” the trapper explained, Cho giving a nod. But not too vigorously. She didn’t want to drop her ‘Sugar’. Especially since how hard it is to pick it up when you spill a bit.

Sachiko shot her wife a glance. While that was a dark way to take that remark, it was far from being in good taste.

Sorry. I didn’t intend for it to come across like that.

“Apology accepted.” Cho remarked, her attention returning to what was ahead of her. “So we have to take little Ryouma here with us. That way, she’ll be out of our hair.”

Ren gave a nod. Though, you did forget the part about me being joined by my wife to narrate this.

“That’s nice to know.”

Why thank you, I think? I’m not used to being complimented. Especially like this.

Silence followed on our heroes part, with them mostly focusing in on their surroundings rather than the narrator’s latest comment.

“So, how much farther to this queen of dolls chick?” Ren remarked and watched Ryouma take a deep breath. Carefully, she made her way over and jumped aboard the bomber. A bit climbing followed. Onto Ren’s head, of course. Because you know, that’s a perfect seat for her. Not.

“Just a little bit farther, ‘your highness’.” the doll joked and just avoided a near swipe from Ren. Though, it did get everyone nearby a full look at the opera gloves he had probably bought yesterday. “Are you a prince or a princess?”

Her answer was a growl. Whether it was a prince growl or a princess growl remained to be seen. I’m leaning towards the latter, while my wife is more of the former.

“Get off of me.” Ren snarled and took a second swipe at the doll. His accuracy was even worse this time around, hitting his own partner in the process. “Sorry Yasyamon.”

Yasyamon let out a groan as he picked Ren off his body. A bit of turning around followed, with the bomber finding himself face-to-face with his partner.

“Hey… I’m alright.” Ryouma announced as Yasyamon shot him a glance. While he appreciated the care the photographer gave him, it came with moments like this. Royalty probably had to deal with this on a daily basis, right? This wasn’t some way to take advantage of the bomber’s naivety for the sake of dress-up.

I feel like the actual answer to that question is kind of obvious.

Yasyamon shot the sky a glance.

Fine then. We won’t say it then. Bitch.

The photographer shook their head, carefully reorienting Ren in the process. While pissed, at least they were holding themselves together. I don’t think any of them would want to deal with him like that.

“Understood.” Ryouma answered and felt herself get placed back on Yasyamon’s head.

While they were doing that, a question seemed to form in Airu’s head. It was a simple one, but one that kind of needed to be asked anyway. It the face all the other questions she had, it seemed a little sil-

There are no such things as silly questions, Sachiko. Sure, you might not get the best answers, but that shouldn’t force you to not ask it. Understood?

Understood.

Airu cleared her throat, sort of understanding our tirade for once.

“Ren, can I ask you something?” Airu remarked and watched Ren attempt to focus on her.

“Shoot.”

“How did you and Yasyamon even meet?” she inquired as the bomber took a deep breath. After, he let a smile kind show on his face and followed it up with a giggle.

“You first.” the bomber countered, getting a groan in return. Then it shifted into a smile on the trapper’s face. So I guess she was expecting that.

“Cho fell through my bedroom window and stumbled into a trap I had placed.” the trapper explained and got a groan from her partner. “What?”

“I think you’re forgetting something.” Cho remarked and carefully shook her girlfriend about. “You know…”

She flashed a wink. I guess she went for the obvious option. Smart woman.

“And we sort of fell in love.” Airu remarked and waited for the inevitable response. But to her surprise, no such reaction seemed to come. Even Ryouma had chosen to keep her mouth shut for once. “We’re dating at the moment.”

“Good for you two.” Ren remarked and took a deep breath, making a quick gaze to Yasyamon right after. Yasyamon just nods. “This whole thing started on my sixteenth birthday…”

.

A slightly younger Ren Tobari opens their eyes.

Carefully, they get out of their and heads to the closet. After looking over their options, they went for their nicest garment of the bunch. Sure, it was not something they entirely cared for, but it was something they were willing to grin and bear it. Especially on such a grand day as this one.

“Perfect.” they thought and began to skip their way down the hall. Of course, they made sure to make some faces to whoever they may pass on by. Since you know, it was their special day and they had a bit more leanway this time around than normal   
But the moment that they reached the end of the hallway, everything in this unknown seemed to shift. An unknown cold seem to hang over this room, but with no draft to speak of. 

Reluctantly, Ren tries to pull the door open, fighting against it with all their strength. At first, it would seem that the door would be the victor in this battle. But Ren refused to let go. And eventually, they managed to push on through. Though, if they knew what awaited them on the other side, would they have gone through the trouble.

Inside, everything one would ever need for a birthday party had been included. You know, streamers, the obligatory ‘happy birthday’ message with big colorful and pretty letters, a cake, a large pile of presents. But to top it all off, Ren’s parents were laying in a pool of their own blood. And on closer inspection, it would appear that the perpetrator was striking their most stoic pose as possible.

“Who are you?” they call out, but get no answer. Instead, they focus in on the person itself. Who was strangely dressed to look a lot like Airu. Only older and more like a barbie doll for Except they had a knife for some reason.   
“Me?” the figure remarked and just casually drops the knife into one of the bodies. “I’m just a maid, your highness.”   
Her response seemed to catch their target by surprise, especially when they walked over and placed their hands around Ren’s neck.

“My, what a beautiful neck you have there.” the woman explained, licking her lips for some reason. ”“Now be a good little teenager and just d-”

But Ren broke away, flinging a lit candle that was conveniently placed by someone. Which was quite nice of this unknown stranger. After, they turned around and slammed the door behind them.

What followed, was a run back from down the hall back to their room. A million different thoughts seemed to run through their head, none of which giving them the greatest of thoughts to be thinking at that moment. Though, I wouldn’t blame them. Everyone reacts to seeing someone they cared about in a different way, which sometimes makes this sort of mess that much harder on them in the long run

“I can do this.” they thought as their hands reached for the doorknob. Compared to the last door, this one seemed already defeated, as if someone had taken the time to kick it’s ass in beforehand. While nice, it did little to sooth Ren’s nerves. It probably made them even more afraid of what awaited them on the other side. Carefully, they pushed the door open and let their room welcome them in.

Compared to the room they had just left, everything in here had been left in the same general spots from the day before. Before they had a chance to maybe get some more sleep and maybe try and form a gameplan, the flash of a camera flooded his vision.

“Hey!” Ren shouted as their vision cleared, revealing a gray-skinned humanoid with a mask-like face. A pair of yellow eyes stared out towards the person, while a head of red hair serves to provide some level of contrast. His outfit consisted of just a pair of light grey cargo pants and a top made up of green tubing. Wooden bracers hung over their arms, with a pair of bokken hung to their pants. A camera sat in one hand, while a note sat in the other. 

Ren casually made their way over, getting handed the note by this unknown thing.

_ Ren, _

_ Happy Birthday. We’re sorry that you are probably receiving this post of our demise, but it couldn’t be helped. Yasyamon will serve as your protector until the time comes to return. _

_ Love, _

_ Mom & Dad _

Tears began to roll down Ren’s face, getting a pat from their partner in return. It doesn’t really help. Just makes it all hurt just a bit more.

“I will always be there for you, my little princess.” Yasyamon whispered, letting his gaze fall on Ren.

.

“Huh.” Airu remarked as the shop came into view. “I’m sorry that I’m not the one you’re looking for.”

Ren looked over to her. While he probably wanted to ask the trapper about something, he held back for now.

“It’s alright.” the bomber answered, his gaze finally setting on a spot ahead. Which served as the perfect opportunity to just relax on this weird and wild trip.

“We’re just about here.” Ryouma remarked, only for a bullet to ring out. “Now what?”

In front of them, a chameleon approached.

“Your highness, it’s been awhile.”

* * *

 

On our next date: A steed for a supposed princess.


	22. His Royal Steed

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Out of all the things Airu and co. could be facing down right now, a chameleon just seemed unlikely. Sure, between Airu's supposed crime, Ren's possible heritage and Ryouma's chatbot status, there was more than to prompt an ambush upon them. But this felt quite different.

Their destination was mere feet away, with the Queen of Dolls patiently waiting inside for someone. And that wasn't even taking into account their current battlefield. Had their opponent really wanted the advantage, they would've done it in the alley where Airu had dropped Parasimon off, not a large open area with the only 'cover' really coming from the top of buildings than anything else. If anything, this is less of a strategical battle and more of a small skirmish.

"Uh… hi?" Ren greeted and carefully dismounted from Yasyamon. Once on the ground, he made sure that none of his outfit had been dirtied and then let his gaze focus in on the chameleon. "Is there anything that we can do for you?"

But the chameleon did not answer. Instead, the creature chose to use their tongue to grab hold of him. Did we have to go there? We already had one weird situation earlier today. We don't need any more.

At the very least, it did give everyone else a chance to admire it's red stripes on a green skin. That didn't explain that weird helmet and goggles it had chosen to wear for that occasion. You would think such things would get caught and lost. I guess not, in this case.

Ren didn't seem to really care about any of that, going in for a kick to one of its eyes. While he did break free, it was not without sacrifices. As in, showing off his footwear and socks for this trip. For most people, this wouldn't be so bad. But Ren did not have the luxury of regular footwear. If he had at one point, I suspect Yasyamon would've beat it out of him. Which to his teammates surprise, was a pair of mary janes with a blocky heel and a pair of white tights going most of the way his legs. I'm starting to get the feeling that there's something else at the heart of this. Take your time though. Once you're ready, tell us. We're willing to listen.

Ren gave a nod, putting a tiny bit distance between him and the chameleon.

"He doesn't look like someone who could do much in mary janes. I guess he really is a princess" Ryouma joked and caught a gaze from both Cho and Airu. "Do you have any problems, sluts?"

Silence fell over both parties, with Ryouma getting a look.

"So what?" Airu remarked, only to get a confused look from the doll. "It's his choice. Why does it even matter to you?"

Ryouma mumbled something to herself as the trio's attention returned to the chameleon. While the bomber was still free, but there was still a chance that he might be captured again.

"You little…" their opponent announced and followed it up with a snarl. "I was told this was an easy job. Your highness, I ask of you not to struggle."

Her answer came as a harsh look. If anything, it was to be expected from the bomber. But at the same time, there seemed to be some sort of confusion. Like something not gelling with his supposed story but he didn't want to admit it. Or he just needed some help from a teammate. Probably the latter over the former.

"Need some help?" Airu remarked and watched the bomber give a nod. Carefully, she jumped out of her girlfriend's arms and pulled her backpack off. What followed, was a bit of digging. Why she thought to stuff everything in without giving much thought to where it was is beyond me. "Catch!"

Carefully, the trapper flung the jar overhand and watched her teammate catch it. Of course, it did take him a couple seconds to realize what he was even supposed to do with. Which in this case, was smashing it down against the pavement and getting out of the blast zone as quickly as he could.

"Your hi-"

The wax set in before the chameleon got a chance to finish that sentence.

"Phew." Ren remarked, flattening out parts of his dress as his attention returned to his opponent. "Now, what do you want out of me?"

The chameleon let out a chuckle.

"Does it matter?" their opponent continued as it scanned them over. "Or are you afraid that I'm going to take you away and never give you back?"

Offscreen, both narrators seemed ready to just facepalm. Not that there was anything really stopping them, it was just more professional not too. If you know what I mean.

"You could at least give us a straight answer."

But the chameleon just laughed. Which, got it a kick in the other eye. The wax is most definitely wearing

"Your highness, would please stop that? It was funny the first time, but not like this."

Ren shot their opponent a look and shifted his gaze to Yasyamon. All he got in return, was a shrug of sorts and the slow approach of his partner.

"Why do you keep calling me, 'your highness'?" the bomber mumbled, conflicted by all of this. This too got him another shrug. Not that Ren actually saw it.

"Well, you look like you're the " their opponent continued, using what eyesight it did have to look Ren over. "I guess I was right on the money for once."

"Uh…" Ren answered, unsure of what he caused now. "Thanks?"

Carefully, he placed a hand on the creature's scale, only for his other one to find its way there as well.

"It seems that you've taken a liking to me." the chameleon explained and watched it's passenger carefully fit itself on. "Is there any adjustment that you would like me to make?"

Ren let out a chuckle.

"If it wouldn't hurt, could you tell me your name?" the bomber inquired and watched the chameleon let out a laugh.

"While I am a chamelemon, you may call me whatever you want." she explained and got a nod in return.

"How about… Sella? It has a regal tone to it. I think."

Yasyamon gave a thumbs-up and their chameleon friend perked up.

"I like it." the chamelemon remarked and cracked a bit of a smile. "Has a nice ring, especially should you lose me?"

Everyone's gazes focused in on her. Airu at least pulled her digivice to make use of analyzer. So they weren't that clueless.

_Now scanning…_

_Loading Entry…_

**Chamelemon**

**Armor/Champion, Virus**

**Special Moves: Tongue Lash, Wide Eyes**

**.**

**Sella: This is a little hard on my eyes.**

**Airu: Sorry about that.**

**Sella: No, I will be alright.**

Scan Complete.

"Phew." Ryouma remarked and let her gaze return to the nearby store. "Are we ready to go?"

After getting a whole bunch of nods, they made their way towards the shop.

"I've returned." Ryouma announced as they

A large figure floated over to them, dressed in a pink lolita dress with matching stockings and heels. A frilly parasol hung was cradled within its arms, while a pink bonnet covered a majority of its head. The rest of the face had a frozen expression and looked quite pissed for some reason. All in all, not someone I would want to meet in a dark alley.

"Hello?" Airu inquired, only to watch the woman disappear. Along with Cho.

"Airu Suzaki."

The trapper turned around, finding her girlfriend currently within this strange woman's arms.

"Could you maybe put my girlfriend down?" Airu remarked and grabbed Cho's hand, attempting to pull her partner out.

"Chosen. Breaker. Changer."

The woman disappeared and let Cho drop to the floor. But not before Airu dived in to catch the baker. She actually managed to catch her girlfriend. Aww...

"Thanks, Sugar." Cho remarked as the two got up, their gazes focusing on this mysterious woman. Who had reappeared once more. Or something. "So you're the Queen of Dolls?"

In the silence that followed, Ren and everyone else took the time to actually focus on this woman. Not that Ryouma really cared. She was more focused on making faces at Ren and Airu. Because that's what we do in situations. Not pay attention to the important information.

"Confirmed." the woman answered and looked the two over. "Expected."

All three chosen gave her a confused glance.

"Okay…" Ren remarked and got off of Sella. "What do you need from us?"

Their host clears their throat, only to pull a radio from… somewhere. Where the fuck was she hiding that? Her dress?

Considering the garments I usually see you wearing, I'm more concerned how that greatsword of yours even stays up.

"Presence. Hunt. Things." the Queen of Dolls whispered, letting her gaze swivel over. "First Hunt. Now."

Almost on cue, the sound of a radio waltzed on in. While none of them were quite sure where it came from, the message that followed came in loud and clear.

"The fifth death in a row at local swimming pool has now been ruled to have been the work of the 'Reaper of the Sea'.

"Go."

Our heroes just stood there. Mostly because they were probably processing what was even going on. But this wasn't going to stop them from being pushed out by the Queen of Dolls.

"Hey!" Ryouma remarked.

"Out. Not Daughter."

With that, they made their exit.

* * *

Notes:

Been a while since I've done proper notes.

With editing (at the time of writing, at least) nearly complete on Cho & Me, I'm going to make an attempt at trying to give context about what has been a crazy year from post DAO to this. Especially as we go into the first hunt of the fic. That does mean that some notes will be added post-release. For better or worse.

Originally, Ren was going to be the queen of dolls. It was something that was planned for a bit and then shelved for the moment until it was turned into an entirely different character entirely.

On our next date: Let's be detectives. Because our heroes and narrators are totally qualified for that.


	23. On the Case

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

 

Airu took a deep breath.

On one hand, it was nice to have a bit of action again. especially if the target wasn't her this time. But by that same token, it meant that she and Cho wouldn't be getting a chance to watch some Mahoutsukai Precure. Especially since she had to leave her girlfriend on her own the day before.

But when she looked towards her girlfriend, any sorts of worry or fear seemed to wash away. Mostly because the baker seemed unharmed from her encounter with the Queen of Dolls. She even looked to be in a better mood than she had been beforehand.

"Sorry about that." the trapper muttered, only to get a slight pat on the back in return.

"It's alright, Sugar." Cho whispered, carefully squeezing "If you don't mind me asking, what happens in the next episode?"

"Riko's sister, Liz shows up to help teach one of the magic lesson." Airu explained as her girlfriend swept her up into their arms. "But after she gives Riko some advice, Riko goes full tsundere on her."

Seems kind of rude to do someone. Especially when they're your sister. Though, there was that madhouse place that we don't really talk about.

"Then what happens~"

Airu let out a giggle.

"Mirai has a talk with Liz, who gives her a clearer picture of Riko's childhood and how she's understands magic, but can't quite 'do' magic."

Cho gave a nod.

"Let me guess. The teacher then gets captured and they have to turn into precure?" the baker answered and got a thumbs-up from her girlfriend. "Then they make up. Got it. Anything else?"

The only thing you two forgot to mention was the lesson itself, which was holding water in a shape. Oh. And there's a vague reference that Riko's 'diamond' was passed down through her family. But considering those parts are never really brought up again in the story, we'll let it pass.

"Got it."

After, their gazes focused in on Ren, who was on Sella at the moment. While he seemed like in a good mood, the idea of having to hunt down digimon was still something new to them, Outside of the bomber supposedly jumping between dimensions in the past. I get that all the past dimensions were all peaceful then? It wouldn't be impossible.

"Is there anywhere that you would wish to go, your highness?" the chamelemon remarked and watched her master shake their head.

"Just follow Cho for the moment." Ren answered and looked towards Yasyamon. At the moment, the photographer was messing around with his camera. Ryouma still sat casually on his head, scanning the general surroundings for anything of note. Though, it was starting to look like the whole 'chatbot' thing was just an act than anything, which it was the perfect chance for the doll to prove both of us wrong.

"You really fell for that?" Ryouma remarked and let out a snicker. "I guess you two are really that gullible."

Offscreen, both of our narrators fell out of their chairs. Thankfully, they were not harmed by this accident.

Then who are you really then? If you're not some kind of chatbot, does that mean you're still a doll?

"Yes, you morons." Ryouma continued. Which for the record, is quite a rude accusation to make. While yes, my wife has not made the smartest decisions in the last 'decade' or so, she has made strides in decision-making.

Uh… thanks?

"Though, I wonder what my partner will be…" she thought and closed her eyes. Her mind drifted, bringing forth all sorts of images of possible digimon partners. Champion and ultimate digimon danced about in her head, showing off their various abilities in the process. But her focus seemed solely on one at the moment. It was a tall humanoid, dressed in what appeared to be a tenchcoat and pinstripe suit with a jackal mask over their head. Though, that didn't explain why all the possible partners had changed to match this particular description. It was as if that was somehow the only programmed solution, with all others not even investigated or even researched to the same degree as this unknown digimon. But that was a mystery that could be investigated at a future date. Maybe when the focus is actually on our wonderful doll.

For now though, their attention needed to be on this supposed 'Reaper of the Sea'. Which if you ask me, is a silly name for a serial killer. They could have gone with something like 'Neptune' or even 'Poseidon'. But no, they went that mouthful of a title. It doesn't even help those at risk of this thing's wrath either.

"What are you two even talking about?" Airu remarked as they took a left, the alley with Parasimon coming into view.

How silly 'Reaper of the Sea' sounds. We were thinking that it should be something else.

"Oh." she continued and gave Cho a nod, which the baker interpreted as 'set me down carefully' and set her girlfriend down. After, the two carefully got back onto their spider mount.

"Ruff ruff!" Parasimon greeted and made his way over to Sella, who was not that interested in the large spider.

"Color me impressed." she remarked and gave Parasimon a hiss. "Not many people can keep such a beast under control."

Airu's gaze shot over to the chamelemon, slightly confused. While sure, they had some trouble with the spider (especially when it had possessed Lilithmon), she would argue the Candlemon fight was even more of a challenge. Especially since it had been their first outing/date. Or would that be the time Hiroshi needed to be rescued from that crew of nasty savages.

"Why not?" she inquired and got a sigh from Sella.

"Most Parasimon have a tendency of jumping their masters if they are not given enough attention. But it seems yours just wants to be a dog." the chamelemon continued. "And your companion seems far more chummy than what I would expect."

Cho shot the observer a quick glance followed by a laugh.

"So what?" she added and watched Sella take a deep breath. "Sugar is my girlfriend. I wouldn't trade her for the world."  
Her response seemed to catch Sella by surprise, with her choosing to stop in her tracks.

"Your highness, why didn't you divulge this to me?"

Ren took a deep breath. But then he followed it up with a chuckle. That only seemed to confuse his mount more than anything else.

"You didn't ask." he explained and made sure that his dress wasn't showing off anything 'undesirable'. "That and most of us have kind of accepted us."

His gaze shifted to Ryouma.

Sella mumbled something under her breath, but let out a sigh afterward. She was probably debating whether or not to respond to her master's latest comment, but had made the decision against it. Which was probably for the better at the moment.

"Any idea where we should go?" Ryouma inquired and got a glance from her teammates.

"Possibly to a body of water." Airu answered, taking a deep breath, "Most of my traps aren't quite meant for underwater use."

Cho made a glance towards her girlfriend.

"What modifications would need to be made?" she inquired and watched the trapper take a deep breath.

"For this job, I would need to waterproof the bear trap and add some weights to the net." Airu continued. "But those sorts of adjustments would only be helpful if any future hunts were water-based. Though, the paint might be a nice addition."

Ren let out a groan, only to have the trapper shoot him a glance.

"Let me guess. You have something for underwater hunting?"

Ren gave a nod, only for Yasyamon to pull out a bikini.

"For the last time, I will not wear that." the bomber explained and got a glance from Sella. After, he pulled out a swimsuit of his own - a mermaid costume. "This better?"

Yasyamon gave a nod, not at all happy that his grip on his human.

"Aw…" Ryouma remarked as the faint outline of a figure in a large pool of water came into view. "I think that's it."

Both Airu and Cho gave a nod as Parasimon and Sella were steered into a nearby alley. Then they approached the nearby building. After, it was time to suit up. Quite literally.

.

'Another chapter done.'

For Chaos and Sachiko, things were going quite well when it came to .

Sure, there was still Hera and Death to deal with, but things were mostly on the up and up in their little home on the Dark Blade's Plantation.

"Mmmph! Mmmph!"

"Now what?" Chaos signed and made her way over to the far side of the room, where a large chest was shaking about. Once there, she pulled her claymore off her back and carefully pried it open.

"Anything of note?" Sachiko called out, only for a girl to pop out. "Oh. Hi Usagi."

From the looks of things, the author's former assistant has been doing her best during the hiatus. How is she's still alive? Where have all of these people been since the end of the last fic? That last one was wishful thinking. I highly doubt you'll actually go back to Digital Adventures Online and reread that.  
Usagi muttered something under her breath, ripping off a gag that neither narrator had noticed.

"Where's Valia?" the ranger screamed and stormed out of the box, not at all caring for the fact she had been nude for the last nine months. At least put some clothes on. No one needs to see that. Even the people who are into that. "Where is she?!"

Sachiko let out a sigh. Though, I don't think neither her or Chaos knew exactly where the reaper even was.

"We had thought you were somewhere on the plantation, but I guess that's not the case." the geomancer explained and got a right hook from the former captive. "Which means that she had planned to pretend be you. And then write off her own disappearance as a vacation."

That response only seemed to piss Usagi even more, so she just stormed off.

* * *

Notes:

Surprise? Yeah, this probably would've worked better had this been going straight from DAO. Instead of waiting nearly an entire year.

Outside of that, editing is wrapping up (Outside of adding these notes at the end and stuff).

.

On our next date: Let's go for a swim.


	24. Chapter 24

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Inside, the building had gone for a sort of modern look.

And by that, I mean it looked like a wannabe order property. Like seriously, how does one just decide that all their buildings are just going blank white canvases and nothing else? That's just silly. If I were on the design team, I would've slapped whoever came up with the idea and ask for a real suggestion. Then when I got none, I would have gone for something more traditional. Maybe even then throw in some ocean-related stuff.

Strangely, the only other accents of color came in the form of some blue lights that shined on the walls. That was probably all they could afford after painting everything white and or having everything made up to be all white.

"Uh…" Airu started, only to shake her head. For the moment, it was probably best to just wait for whichever narrator to calm down and go about their current task. Which was renting swimsuits for their visit and maybe buying some snacks. "Ryoma and Cho, do you know what sizes you are?"

Cho shot her girlfriend a confused glance. Considering that the concept of alternate outfits outside of her armor had occurred a couple of days ago, it was fair to say that the concept of clothes having sizes was not something that comes to mind. Especially in the case of the trapper.

"Size?" the baker inquired and got a deep breath in return. "As in the size of me? My clothes?"

"The second one." Airu explained and stopped in place. As easy it might be for her to just walk around and pull the shirt back, it might be far simpler to just instruct the baker. "Do you know what it says on the tag?"

Cho pulled the back of the sundress, giving it a quick look. And hopefully not a strange look from people. But that's hard to say.

"I think I do now." Cho answered and approached Airu, whispering to her as some attempt to keep it private. Whether or not she had is beyond us. "Ryouma is probably an extra small."

Ryouma responded with a groan, only to follow it up with a snicker.

"We'll see about that." the doll remarked as jumped onto Airu's head. "You don't mind if I let it all show, do you?"

Ryouma found herself staring down the trapper. While she looked to be in a good mood, there was no place for stuff like this. Especially when they were on such a serious mission.

"I do." Airu answered and pulled her down, only for her gaze to focus on Ren. "I'm guessing you already have a swimsuit to begin and just need to pay for admission?"

Ren gave a nod, holding out what looked to be the mermaid costume. It was probably his idea in the face of his partner. Even if it did seem more girlier than the bikini.

Like the dress the bomber was currently wearing, the tail of the outfit seemed to go for a light blue color with a metallic sheen for some reason. The rest of the outfit consisted of a pair of matching seashell cups set on a latex skin. An interesting choice, not one I would go with. Okay, maybe on a dare. No photos!

"That actually works?" Cho inquired. "It seems more like a costume than anything else."

Ren nodded, just catching a glance from his partner. He just ignores it for the moment.

"It worked a couple days ago." the bomber remarked as they took their place in line. But that just left one big and quite obvious question.

"What about Yasyamon?" Airu remarked, only for the photographer to freeze up. "Doesn't he have anything swimming-related or is he planning to just hang around the sidelines?"

Yasyamon began digging through his pockets, searching for anything that could relate to swimming or going to the pool. Eventually, he pulled out what appeared to be a deflated lounger. What followed, was the photographer blowing in as they made their way up through the line. I don't think the people behind him would actually approve. But that was their problem. Not Yasyamon's.

"Is he…" the lady at the counter asked and pointed to Yasyamon, giving them a look over. "She with you?"

The second half of her question caught the bomber by surprise, with him shooting his partner a quick glance.

"Yeah. He's with me." Ren explained and pulled his partner back. "Do them first."

The woman gave a nod and focused on Airu and Cho.

"Couple and one girl." Cho blurted out, only for the woman to take a deep breath.

"Normally, I wouldn't do this." she started as her fingers danced about the keyboard. "More than I could believe your friend being a boy and that thing being a girl "

Ren held back Yasyamon and just watched his teammates get their passes.

"One boy," Ren started and looked towards Yasyamon. The photographer didn't look too happy. But that wasn't his problem. "And one something or other."

.

"So that's a changing room, Sugar?" Cho inquired, the trio coming to a stop.

At the moment, they were making their way down the hall and to a set of doors.

"Yep, Cho." Airu explained and let her gaze focus on a vending machine. More specifically, a swimsuit vending machine. I get this is a different culture from our own, but that's weird. "I guess this is where we get our swimsuits."

"Indeed."

The trio turned around, finding a woman making her approach. For this occasion, she was dressed in a bikini that showed off her actually quite average assets. Which by digitalverse standards put her in a place just below a select group of gals here. Outside of that, her electric blue hair and purple eyes were really the only thing of note about her.

"Thanks?" the woman remarked and flashed a smile, right as Ren walked up. "Now that you three are here, I can properly introduce myself. I am St Clare."

They looked her over with a mix of confusion and interest. While only two of them (Airu and Cho) had really heard of her. But it's possible that Ren might've have heard some mention of him from his time here.

"You're part of the same group as Triglav is, right?" Ren inquired and got a confused glance from Ryouma. "What?"

"Could you two fill me in?" Ryouma inquired and got a glance from Airu.

"I'll explain after we hear her spiel."

"Correct, Princess." Clare answered and got a glare from the bomber. "This is one of my properties."

That doesn't explain why it looks like a wannabe order property.

"I beg your pardon?"

What my wife is saying is that this place looks like a trap for people in order to do shit to them. One of her younger sisters had a less than pleasant experience here.  
"Nonsense." Clare answered, her movements getting all shaky. "That's not true at all. Show them, HVMonitamon!"  
A weird-looking midget with a monitor on his head then appeared, only to shake it's face.

"No." it answered and grabbed hold of its master, having probably had enough to deal with this mess of a woman. After, the duo ran off.

"Okay…" Airu whispered and turned her attention to the vending machine. "Here's to hoping that this doesn't blow me up."

For some reason, the device had a slot for debit cards. Which was a far cry from all the vending machines I've seen. And the few that do want a credit card for some reason. Why the fuck are you paying for a bag of chips.

Of course, the swimsuits provided were far from what one would call 'attractive'. They were basically those school swimsuits but without the markings.

"Better than nothing." Cho remarked as they made their way through a door, while Ren and Yasyamon went through a different door.

"Is this your first time swimming, Cho?" Airu inquired and watched her girlfriend's face turn a quite cute shade of bright pink.

"Yeah…" the baker remarked as she slipped out of her outfit, putting it in the locker. With a bit of help from Airu, she managed to get it on. Then it was Airu's turn to put hers on. "Hold still."

The trapper reluctantly complied, holding still as best she could. Thankfully, Ryouma was a far easier story in that regard. She was actually able to put hers on without any trouble.

"Ready!" she announced only to duck, which was right as something or other went flying. Carefully, the trio made their way out, finding Ren in his mermaid costume along with Yasyamon with his inflatable. Though, it looked like the photographer had tried to ride it out.

"Something happen?" he inquired, not even attempting any sort of voice to go with the outfit that he was wearing.

"I nearly got conked out." Ryouma complained and followed it up with a deep breath. "I think it was a bra or something?"

Right on cue, what appeared to be a quite bare gyroid was flung into the pool. Following right behind, was what appeared to be a woman and a man in a cloak. For this occasion, the woman had gone for a swimsuit similar to our heroes. The only real difference was the color. Which was light blue for some reason. Compared to his partner, the man's cloak was pretty uninteresting.

They had a third companion, but they were currently being pulled in by what appeared to be a vine through a portal. Because they were being an idiot and didn't need to be here.

"Hi there." the man explained and turned towards our protagonists."You must be Sugar and Cho."

Airu took a deep breath, shooting her girlfriend a kiss.

"Sugar is what Cho calls me." the trapper explain and made a glance towards the man's companion, who was giving her a glare for some reason. "You can call me Ai-"

Before she had a chance to finish that sentence, the woman slid over and pulled one of her fists back.

**Watery Grave Punch!**

A slimy fist slammed into the trapper's face, forcing Airu to duck.

"Polly!" the man screamed as his partner's shot towards him. After, she seemed to realize what she had done. "I'm sorr-"

He got a right hook from Polly that remark.

"No, this is my fault." Polly explained and held her hand out. "You just reminded me of someone I don't really care for."

That's still not the best way to greet someone.

Hearing that, Polly and her partner rolled her eyes.

"Oh." Airu answered and looked the monk magi in the eye. "Truce?"

"Wait. How did you guys know our names?" Cho inquired as Polly rejoined her partner.

"Alice and Elena told us."

* * *

 

Notes:

It's good to see that the mahora trio are still kicking.

Outside of that, editing is done. Which means other stuff coming out.

.

On our next date: A little rant and romance. Gotta love it, or not.


	25. Dimensional Vu

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Done.

Out of all the possible words to describe how she felt, that was the one Chacha would use. After falling so long, being able to touch solid earth should seem nice, almost heaven to some. Add in the total lack of damage to her skin, she of all people could be happy. Maybe even joyous. But that was not the case for this former protagonist.

"Could you two sluts stop the whole melodrama?" the gyroid whispered and flapped her wings, propelling herself upward. "I just didn't want to wear one of those stupid swimsuits."

That's a 'you' problem then. Not our fault that this was the one place that our heroes needed to go. and you guys ended up there. Just a timely coincidence.

Chacha let out a groan and flipped the roof off. Had she actually been aiming, she might have flipped off a part that had glass over it. But oh well.

"Whatever." the gyroid remarked as her head poked through the surface, not at all caring that her master was currently talking with some girl. She seemed familiar, but Chacha couldn't quite place where exactly she had seen her.

"Whatever." Chacha thought and made her way towards the exit, a hand grabbing hold. She forced her head around, finding Polly before her. It would seem that the monk magi was not in the mood for this crud. "Now what?"

Carefully, the monk magi pulled her down to solid ground. Then it was just a matter of turning the gyroid around. Which Chacha reluctantly allowed.

"We need your help." Polly explained and watched her partner look away, possibly looking for . "I get that you want to take some time to relax. Both Fate and I want to do the same. But right now, we need to focus on this one task."

Chacha let out a groan and mumbled something to herself. Her gaze focused in on her master, who had pulled a swimsuit out from somewhere.

Compared to those being worn by the other girls, hers had been a gift from her former master. Which basically meant that it was a lacey-looking onepiece that showed off her above average melons.

"Are you two really that hung up on that?" Polly remarked as both narrators went silent.

Maybe? It's not my fault that you guys are far more impressive than we will always be. Sure, there's always pretend, but that's not the same as just having the actual things on your chest.

Both monk magi and her gyroid teammate let out a sigh. If anything, both narrators should be stripped of their speaking privileges for that remark, maybe temporarily then?

"Fine." the gyroid grumbled and cautiously took the swimsuit she was given. A little help from Polly later, she managed to get it on and reluctantly joined the group. From the looks of things, it would appear they were having a little aquatic fun. Swimming, diving, trying to knock Yasyamon off his actually quite large pool inflatable. Which probably shouldn't be able to hold him. But what do we know? We're not scientists in the slightest.

"If you don't mind us asking you guys," Fate started and let his focus turned to Airu and her teammates. "What brings you here?"

Both Ren and Ryouma shot Airu a glance, following it up with a nod. Carefully, she and Cho inched out of the pool.

"We were searching for someone by the name of 'Reaper of the Abyss'." Airu explained and watched Fate's expression change. "Though, we were only going on a wild guess."

Fate let out a laugh.

"Sometimes, that's all you need." the harem mage explained. "But usually, you should probably more than one location in mind."  
Says the guy who kisses all the girls without a second thought.

Fate shot the roof a glance.

"I've gotten better." he countered and got a glare from both his partners. "Do you at least have some clue what you're looking for?"  
Before anyone had a chance to really answer, a figure emerged from the water. Except it was all transparent for some reason. That made a huge splash for some reason.

"Uh… Hi?" Airu greeted and took a deep breath. Had she planned ahead, she would've brought her ba-  
"Is this it?" Ren inquired and held up a backpack. Strangely, it would appear that Yasyamon had given it a plastic cover for some reason. He handed it over, watching Airu carefully slip it on. Even though she should probably wondering how the photographer even got into that changing room.

"Thank you." Airu remarked, carefully opening up the plastic layer just to get to the stuff inside. Once she had, Cho came over."Net or bear trap, Cho?"

"Net, Sugar." the baker responded and watched her girlfriend hand the net over. A bit of digging through the bag soon followed, with a couple close calls with the jar. But eventually Airu managed to pull the net out.

"How cute." their opponent announced and followed it up with a quite loud finger snap. The whole area began to spin about with reckless abandon as everyone went tumbling about. There was also the sound of a clock ticking backwards. "Time shift!"

Light engulfed their vision, with the spinning getting even more jerky and random and everyone getting flung into the water.  
"Boo!" Ryouma announced, throwing her string out to grab hold of something. A crack in the floor tiles. Carefully, she scooted her way through the water and back onto the solid ground. "Sucks to be you losers!"

Cho just rolls her eyes, carefully doggy paddling her way over to Airu.

"You alright, Sugar?" she inquired, watching Airu's attention turn to her. While she looked alright, she was probably a tiny bit dazed from the sudden appearance of this unknown figure.

"Yeah." Airu whispered back as they paddled back towards one of the edges of the pool. But it was a futile effort. The ticking intensified as bright light filled the area.

.

Airu opened her eyes.

She was no longer in the pool, now laying on a bunch of the white tiles used to make sure that you didn't trip and fall. Or in other words, a safety precaution to prevent unnecessary lawsuits. The walls had been done up in a similar fashion. Unlike the floors, that was more so they could have consistent theming or something. I doubt anyone would be running on the wall. Though, that would be kind of awesome for us to see.

"Okay…" Airu whispered, feeling something heavy on her. So carefully, she shifted her body around...

Only for her lip to meet Cho's. She hadn't meet for that to happen.

"Uh…" the baker whispered. Her words came out slightly muffled, not that her girlfriend seemed to care. After what had just happened, we don't blame. "Want to do it? For real?"

Carefully, they broke their embrace and just stared towards each other faces.

"Are you sure?" the trapper teased, unsure of what to really say. While she liked to think her relationship with Cho was far more intimate than most, was really time for the first kiss. Or would it be better to just wait? After all, there might be"This would be our first kiss. Our real first kiss."

The words ring out against the silence, drawing the baker back in. Airu takes it slow, making sure that she didn't miss.

Their lips met in pure bliss. Energy seemed to surge through within the two girls, bringing with it an electrifying feeling. Images flashed all about in their minds, but their gazes were locked on each other

"I didn't expect you to be this good." Airu mumbled as they broke away, a new feeling blossoming in her heart. It was like when she had first seen the baker. But now, it clung even deeper, taking root in a place she didn't know it needed to be. If this was what awaited her, she could take on anything thrown her way. Even the supposed bad future she would create.

"Not bad for a first kiss?" Cho remarked and got a nod in return, only to realize what she had just done mere moments later. "We just did that, didn't we?"

Airu nodded, sitting herself down beside her girlfriend.

"We sure did." she whispered, wrapping an arm around the baker's side. She got a smile for that. "Did you not like that?"

Cho fell silent.

"I did. It's just..." she answered and helped Airu up. "Where do we go from here?"

Her question rings out like a bullet, catching Airu by surprise. In the swirling mess that was her life, she had kept pushing such a question to the back burner. Maybe out of fear that she would not like the answer or perhaps to figure out a better solution in her limited time. Well, she was going to have to scramble on that front.

"Hmm…" the trapper whispered, holding a finger to her chin. "For the moment at least, a few more 'dates' would probably do us some good."

Cho gives a nod as the duo get up, their focus turning to the room itself. For it would seem that someone had added gold accents to the trim. Because that's what it totally needed. Though, that didn't explain the distant rumble of what sounded like like a vehicle just freefalling. If there was a window outside, they would have taken a peak to see what it might have been. But there weren't any. That and there were weird silhouettes of people just hanging about and I guess watching them? Something like that.

So they headed down the hall, finding themselves in a room similar to the one they had just left. At least Ren and co were here.

"So you are that kind of people." Ryouma remarked and let out a snicker, only to catch a glare from Cho. "Fine. I'll drop it."

"Though, where did that trio go?" Ren remarked and the trio looked around, finding no trace of the monk magi or her companions. While they had been strewn all about in that weird figure's explosion, they were nowhere to be found. Probably a good idea to go find them.

* * *

Notes:

The one and only 'Vu' chapter in Cho & Me. Though, there's probably one or two more in there that aren't as well accounted for. I'll make sure to point the ones out that I can remember.

Outside of that, expect some bonus stuff in the future. ;)

.

On our next date: The end, no. The beginning, yes.


	26. A mahoran goodbye

I don't own digimon and stuff.

* * *

 

"Well this just wonderful." Ryouma muttered. "I guess we know who to blame for this."

At the moment, the doll's attention focused solely on Airu. While this is probably not the best time to assign blame, we can both understand where the doll was coming from?

"I guess?" Ren added and carefully pulled himself out of his mermaid costume, getting handed a clean set of clothes by his partner. Even if it was a copy of the dress rather than an actual set of casual clothes. Though, it come with an additional look. Could've done with that, but what do you do about that? Not much. "Uh… thanks for knowing that?"

The rest of the team turned around as the background silhouettes did did something similar. It was kind of unnecessary, but it was nice thought.

Once Ren was done changing, their attention turned to searching for a possible exit. For starters, they could easily make their way through the changing rooms and navigate the hallways to find their unknown opponent. Or they could try their luck at smashing through some walls and hope for the best. With option is viable here. If you have the right tools of course

"Why would we even do that?" Cho remarked, remembering that she had left her rake back in the changing rooms. Which was an honest mistake that could've been avoided. But considering how people would probably react, that might have been for the better. Maybe this is perfect time for a new weapon or something. "Maybe? I actually like my rake."

Let me guess? It has something special tied to it?

Cho shook her head, only for Airu to put a hand on her back.

"Hey, it'll be alright." Airu cooed, watching her girlfriend's face turn a bright shade of pink. She gave a nod as the group made their way back towards the changing rooms.

Inside, the lockers lined the walls and the bright white palette continued on. Which would make initial examinations of this room seem the same to all the other rooms here. But on closer inspection, it would appear that things were slightly different. Nameplates had been placed on the lockers, with a couple light blue accents thrown in to differentiate the area. Still not what I would've gone with here.

"Huh." Airu whispered, quickly finding the locker she had put their clothes in and opened it up. "Wait. That shouldn't be here."

Cho and Ryouma scurried over and did a double take. While their original clothes were not to be found, someone had left behind some clothes for them to wear. Along with Airu's backpack. Which was kind of nice of them to do.

"Let's see here…"

The first one was a pink skirt suit and green undershirt, with matching glasses and heels. The sort of outfit that could only fit one person.

"I guess this one is mine." Airu remarked and Cho handed it over, watching her sweetheart slip into a nearby stall and get out of her swimsuit. A minute or two later, she popped out. "What do you think?"

Cho stared towards her partner, with a nosebleed beginning to form. Somehow, her girlfriend managed to sell herself as a teacher. She even had added a pin of a lily.

"Oh my." Airu continued as she made her way over to her partner. "I'm give additional lessons~"

She got a nod in return, only to notice a bunch of hair scrunchies she forgot to grab.

"Could you help me tie my hair back?"

What followed, was the two girls attempting to tie a ponytail and failing miserably. It was only after Ren stepped in to help the first two that Airu actually managed to get what she desired. Which did give Yasyamon some ideas.

"Thanks."

With that now out of the way, Cho turned her attention back to the locker. This time, the outfit in question appeared to be a pastel purple blouse with a pink jumper dress over it. Add in the matching set of flats and earrings, what not to love?

"Is someone jealous then?" Ryouma joked as one of the narrators (probably Sachiko's) face turned red. Nonetheless, she made her way into a nearby stall and got to work.

"Now, who wants desert?"

Airu shot back around, letting her jaw drop a little. Sure, her reaction was similar in nature to Cho's, but it all made it seem even sweeter. She too had a lily pin on her top.

"I do!" the trapper remarked and carefully slipped her glasses off, going in for a 'sweet lick'. And as tempting as it would be to go for the lips after their fun times mere minutes before, they went for the necks instead. Not the most tasteful to happen love-wise in this fic.

"Is it my turn yet?" Ryouma announced and got a nod from the two lovebirds. "Okay!"

Carefully, she jumped over to the locker and looked over the one option left. Which in this case was a white and blue sailor fuku. I feel like you got the short end of the stick here. Not that I don't think it would look bad on you. If anything, it'll be perfect for a doll such as yourself.

"I'll take it." she remarked and closed the locker door. "I'm getting dressed!"

"Okay." Airu remarked and carefully popped the lenses of the glasses out. "Much better."

After, she let her attention turn to Cho.

"We look like were getting ready for an orgy." the trapper joked and got a chuckle from her girlfriend.

"I guess."

After saying that, one could hear their possible opponent complaining

"What the fuck you're doing, stop it!" they announced. "I don't care if those clothes fit you or not, just get your asses out of here!"

A series of punches and other attacks followed. Not that they could really tell who was attack whom.

So instead, they decided to take to just admire Ren. Gone was his dress, having been replaced with one of those sexy nurse outfits. It was a nice blue color too.

"You idiot." the bomber whispered. "How is anyone going to believe believe that my main preference is blowing stuff up?"

His partner gave him a pat on the head, mumbling something under his breath. They probably wanted to be the ones wearing the outfit rather than Ren.

"Thanks." he whispered and turned his attention to the locker. "You alright in there, Ryouma?"

"No."

Both Ren and Airu ran back over, with the latter pulling the container open. There, the doll sat in her outfit. She looked almost ready to cry as her eyes focused on them. But her gaze fell to the floor of the locker.

"I keep seeing things. Corpses reduced to nothing but mush - Girls forced to fight against one another as paranoia began to set in." the doll explained. "But it wasn't all bad. I saw love in the air (yuck?), lots of shotguns, and a girl."

"What about a girl?" Airu asked and watched Ryouma take a deep breath.

"She told that I had been chosen as the last one to be sent away and that I had a very special mission." Ryouma continued, carefully sitting herself up. "I was to find a place for her and everyone else to finally settle down."

She turned her attention to her teammates.

"But this whole trip has gone wrong. For one, I was supposed to meet up with my partner, which hasn't happened yet. I even lost the phone number they gave me to call just in case."

Wait. Do you even have a phone for starters? While you might not have their number, you could try to make some friends and get their contacts.

Ryouma just ignored the narrator's latest comment.

"Do you know what they look like at least?" Cho asked and got a nod in return. "So what should we be looking for?"

"Look for a woman with a wyvern was what she told me. Though, I haven't been so lucky on that front."

Hm… That could be a bit difficult when it has turned to its other form. Though, you might want to ask Fate about them.

"Okay."

Carefully, Ryouma jumped onto Yasyamon's head. Though, Cho's attention was fixated on a nearby locker. She opened it up, revealing what looked to be her rake. Which is even better on this mystery person's part.

"Ooh…" the baker whispered and carefully held it in her hands, cracking a smile right after. "I think we're ready now."

With that, made their way towards the door and pushed it open.

But instead of finding a lobby, the trio were instead greeted by a large room. Polly and her two partners waited inside, keeping themselves quite busy by sparring. And by sparring, I mean going at it with a strength reserved only for one's rivals.

"There you are!" Polly announced and Chacha made a hand signal, bringing an end to the battle. "Nice clothes."

Two of the three chosen blushed, with Ryouma just choosing to jump down.

"What do you need?" Polly inquired as the doll approached her husband.

"I'm looking for a girl and her wyvern." Ryouma answered. "Do you know a way that I could possibly contact them?"

Fate let out a sigh and began digging into his pockets. Eventually, a slip of paper was handed to the doll.

"The rest is up to you guys." Polly explained and turned her attention to Fate. "Any advice. for these newbies?"

Fate let out a chuckle.

"You guys seemed to have your shit together more so than Elena and Alice did at this point." the harem mage joked and caught a glance from his wife. "In all seriousness, try not to get separated. If you can do that, you're golden for greatness, lily gals."

Airu and Cho shot the pair a quick glance. While the nickname made sense, it was quite clear he was trying to say it in the nicest way possible.

"You're just going to stay here?" Cho inquired and got a nod from Chacha.

"Yes." the gyroid remarked, making her way towards the baker. "It's time for us to take our bow and exit stage right."

Silence fell over our heroes, with Cho shooting Airu a quick glance. Currently, she was debating whether or not to add something in.

"Your not going to help us with this guy?" the trapper countered and got more laughter in return. Their attention shifted over to their opponent, who was making his way further into the building.

"And make it easy?" Polly answered. "I'm fairly certain that he's one, on Order turf. Secondly, both of my partners are former members. Third, it would be that fun of a fight to read."

Those are all valid reasons. Good enough.

"You're joking, right?" there supposed opponent announced, seeming to shake in place. "I can't catch a break today, can I?"

He was ignored as the trio walked over to a nearby wall, smashing a hole in it. They stepped on through as the rubble closed them out.

"I would get going if I were you guys." Fate finished with as the rubble came down, splitting off the mahora trio from Airu and Co. "Ready to start the next chapter of our life?"

A pair of nods followed that statement. Which came right as a familiar armored vehicle made a less than graceful landing.

"It's been awhile." they greeted and watched their teammates exit.

* * *

Notes:

Surprise.

So there may or may not have been another end to Digital Adventures Online. Who would of thought that.

.

On our next date: Out heroes vs Sagomon. Get some popcorn and stuff.


	27. Changing Times

I don't own digimon.

* * *

Date 27

Changing Times

It didn't take the trio long to find the final destination of their opponent. Sure, they could quite easily just charge right in and be done with this mess. But, that could also result in them getting a major injury or major property damage for their friends. So they took the time to prepare beforehand. If anything, it could help with the weird conversation they had just gotten out of earlier.

"Still have your net, Cho?" Airu inquired as she slipped the other jar of Candlemon's wax along with the net. Her girlfriend gave a quick nod and held up the device for everyone to see. Though, I'm not sure how she grabbed it while still holding her rake. Oh well.

But that did bring forth a different question.

"Why are the knots made up of hearts?" Ryouma inquired as she messed with her strangling string. "Wouldn't that make it less effective?"

She does have a point. I feel like a normal net would be more effective. Though, it must have taken a lot of work just

"Uh…" Airu started and got a pat from Cho. "Not at all! Yeah. It's probably even more effective than a regular one!"

Both of her teammates shot her a glance and got a deep breath in return. While tempting, deflecting from the subject would make them even more suspicious.

"It was a gift from a friend of mine." the trapper explained, letting her gaze focus more on the net than anything else. "They were the one who got me into traps."

"So, boy or girl?"

Airu's face turned a bright shade of pink.

"A girl, I think." she continued and got a glance from Cho. "It was a mutual friendship."

"Hmm…" Cho remarked. "Sugar, Have you seen this 'friend' of yours recently, by any chance?"

Airu shook her head.

"I was very young when I met them."

She got a chuckle from her girlfriend. It was probably a past girlfriend. Or maybe a friend.

"Sugar, you have to give a better explanation than that. Preferably a believable one."

Airu took a deep breath, only to crack a smile. Her focus shifted to Cho, giving her a pat.

"How about that set of armor?" Airu countered. "Does it have a story?"

Silence fell over the baker as a scowl formed. Well, an attempt at one at least.

"You got me there." Cho answered. Her scowl seemed to fade away, giving forth to a much happier smile. "Though, to be honest with you, I bought it in college."

Her answer seemed to catch the trio by surprise, but not in a major earth-shattering way. No, it was more of a welcome one.

"College?" Ren remarked and turned his attention to Yasyamon. "Let me guess, you have a diploma and everything."

He got a nod only for it to turn into a head shake. Which could just make the photographer one of those special cases. Which is a rabbit hole that one doesn't want to find themselves in.

Airu and Ryouma's gazes turned to the bomber. In return, he pulled out a pair of cylinders.

"Self-made." he explained and slipped one back into his bust. "I have more, just in case."

Right on cue, their opponent slapped the wall in the hopes of getting them to come along. If anything, he's mad that his original opponents just walked away without finishing the job. Considering what their new job was now, it's a win-win in our case.

"We're just about ready!" Airu announced, giving her teammates a quick once over. While this wasn't entirely what she had in mind when it came to preparations, it would have to do. "Give us a second."

The walk that followed wasn't too bad. Once there, our heroes found themselves in a white classroom with desks and skeletons scattered about to spruce up the general area. As classrooms go, it wasn't the worse one to find yourself in. You could be trapped in one for eternity.

A watery figure stood at the back, with seven swords hanging out of his body. That didn't explain why he was wearing a necklace of human skulls.

"You don't like it?" the figure remarked and spat on the ground. "I put a lot of work into this. In such a short period of time too."

It's quite apparent. Personally, I would have

With that now out of the way, the trio returned their attention to their opponent.

"You could at least tell us your name." Airu inquired, getting a chuckle in return.

"Sagomon." the digimon remarked and pulled his aquatic cloak away, revealing a large armored bird creature. Sadly, he had not gotten the costume party memo. I guess he could

"You really are going to focus on that of all things, fine then." Sagomon remarked, his attention focusing on the roof for a brief second. Then it's back to our heroes. "I could tell you that I was put up by the chosen of this area, but nah."

Cho took a deep breath and shot Airu a quick glance. A nod follows, signalling the throwing of the net and the start of the actual battle. The wax came next as the bear trap was laid down for a hopeful future use.

As Airu and Cho were doing that, Ren was throwing out what looked to be makeshift grenades. They were probably stuffed into the bust portion of the dress. I guess they sealed beforehand? That's a possibility. Unlike regular grena-

Before either of our narrators had a chance to finish their sentence, a disorienting sound rang out and Ryouma charged forward to do her job as fast as her mary janes could allow for her to go. Which was quite fast to be honest with you.

A quick jump later, she found herself hanging upon the still paralyzed Sagomon.

"Take this!" the doll announced and wrapped her string around the bird's neck, pulling back.

"Don't make me touch my skulls." Sagomon threatened as he approached Airu's bear trap. At first, it would seem that the jaws had somehow had no-

Before either narrator could finish that sentence, it latched hold of their opponents and shattered one of his skulls.

"You idiot." Sagomon shouted as the rest of his skulls followed suit. "I had this nice long fight set up for all of us and you just fucked it up!"  
Right on cue, a grenade landed to the ground and delivered its explosive present. The result was their opponent's body beginning to shift about. A few seconds later, Sagomon shattered and an egg took its place.

_Hunt Complete!_

After that message appeared, the trio found themselves engulfed in light. Just barely, they could hear the voices of their companions. But they couldn't make out what they were speaking. Which might be for the better.

"So were just going to leave them?" Airu remarked and got a nod from Cho. "Got it."

She took a deep breath as an idea came to her.

"Good luck, you guys!" she continued as their vision went dark.

On the other side, our heroes found themselves in the outside courtyard area to an entirely different building.

"Okay."

In the place of the supposed order base, a school of sorts had been erected. The sounds of students doing martial arts and/or swimming were in full swing, neither willing to let the other have the full level of noise. The surrounding area had gone through a similar change, with the shops and buildings taking on an oriental theme. The scent of noodles and steamed pork buns wafted in, tempting anyone passing through.

Of course, there was one other change of note.

"We're back in our regular clothes." Airu remarked and found a large dry cleaning bag sitting at her feet. She quickly picked it up, finding the outfit from earlier inside. "I guess we get to keep our outfits. Just not the swimsuits."

Cho seemed to perk up after hearing that, even if it did feel like they were being watched. So she gave her girlfriend a slight tap.

"Something wrong?" the trapper inquired, watching Cho point towards a nearby rooftop. Just barely, the weird TV midget from earlier could be spotted. Not that they were seeming to pay the group much mind. "We should be alright."

With that issue now solved, Ren cleared his throat.

"I think we'll be fine." Ren remarked as Yasyamon pulled out his camera. "You little…"

A couple photos followed. Then the duo got on Sella and headed off. Their destination was probably their hotel room, with a chance of a stop or two at a clothing store.

"Do you have a place to go, Ryouma?" Airu asked and watched the doll shake her head. "Do you want to come back with us?"

Ryouma looked away, only to be picked up by Cho.

"Do you have something to sleep in at least?" the baker inquired and Ryouma let out a groan.

"Yeah, but it's back at your house."

It took the doll a second to realize what she had just said. But by that point, it was too late. Both Airu and Cho were already on Parasimon, their grip refusing to let go.

"Ruff!" the spider announced and headed off to their final destination of the day.

"Want to make something once we got home?" Airu inquired, her gaze focused on the sunset. Cho focused there as well, taking in the vibrant shades of orange and yellows.

"Sure." the baker answered, watching a smile form on Airu's face.

"Anything that you got in mind?"

Cho looked off into space, an idea quickly forming in her head.

"Gelatin." she answered as their neighborhood came into view. "Maybe watch some precure while we're waiting for it settle."

For some reason, that made Ryouma perk up.

"Which season?" the doll inquired and looked quite intensely at Airu. Carefully, she picked Ryouma up and sat her in the trapper's lap. Almost to one up the duo, Cho grabbed her girlfriend and carried her bridal-style.

"Cho…" Airu whispered and the two were put down. "To answer your question, Mahou Tsukai."

A large smile formed on Ryouma's face, only to be overshadowed by the large castle that now took residence within Airu's neighborhood.

* * *

Notes:

First hunt in the bag.

Though let me make one thing clear. This fic won't be covering every hunt. Even then, the order of hunts will be quite out of order. Partially is the result of me writing nearly half this fic in one long burst across three months and just finding certain hunts (the ogremon duo, for example) to not be that interesting or really lend themselves to actually interesting consequences for the story and the world. If you know what I mean. ;)

.

On our next date: Well, this is a surprise.


	28. Equivalent Exchange

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

When one sees a castle, many thoughts usually roll through their mind.

For some, it's the idea of owning their own castle. For others, it's getting to know their new neighbors in the hope's of stealing all their valuables (should they have any, of course). But in the case of our trio, it was quite clear.

"Why?" Airu remarked as Parasimon made the transition from concrete to grass, just dodging a fireball thrown towards them. Not the safest things to be throwing around in a residential area. Can we interest you in some nice throwing stones? They pack the same sort of punch as fireballs without having to worry about the ensuing fire and stuff.

There weren't anyone taking that particular offer. Sadly.

"Halt intruders!"

Yet, the voice was ignored for the moment. Mostly because our trio was putting out the small brush fire that was created by their initial 'intrusion'. Once that was accomplished, they led their spider to his shed and made their way around to the porch.

The castle in question had gone for a desert vibe, with tan sandstone walls and lots of marble accents. Sprinkled throughout, were a bunch of circular glass windows. They probably were more decorative than actually functional. Mostly because you can just step outside and look. It doesn't have to be anything special.

"We're here now." Airu responded as they scanned the area for the source of the voice. While they didn't find it, there was a package on the porch of her home. "If you're not going to answer us, we'll just go on with our day."

They turned their attention away from the castle and made their way back around. One would expect that at some kind of warning would at least be given, maybe even a threat made. But that was not the case for our heroes. No, they were more focused on examining the package that had arrived.

"It would seem that this was addressed to you." Ryouma remarked, letting her attention focus in on the box. "Maybe it's something in return for clearing out Sagomon for them?"

Airu gave a nod and sat herself down, debating how exactly to open it up. While the trapper was not carrying any bladed tools, there had to be something that could be grabbed and/or ripped at to get to the contents itself. A quick look over the box later, she eventually found the spot she was looking for.

"Here goes nothing." she explained and grabbed hold. What followed, was a mix of pulling and tearing at the tape. There were a couple times that the trapper thought that they had gotten it open, only to find that there was still a lot left to go. Eventually, Airu did find the end of the tape.

"Phew." the trapper thought and pulled the cardboard flaps away, revealing the bear trap and net. While the net looked untouched, someone had gone through the trouble of waterproofing the bear trap and reinforcing it. Just in case it needed to be used against larger digimon. They had even put on a new coat of paint, giving it a little bit of an appearance similar to a donut. That sounds kind of tasty right now. The idea of the donut. Not the bear trap.

"Sugar?" Cho inquired, watching her girlfriend's eyes light up. "You alright?"

She got a nod in return.

"Yeah." Airu added as she pulled the contents out, only to reveal a note at the bottom. Setting the stuff down, she let her attention turn to the piece of paper.

_To Miss Airu, Ryoma and Cho,_

_By the time you're reading this, we have passed on. And sure, that sucks for you guys and Chacha. But thanks to your efforts, we were able to refurbish the base and turn it into a proper school with the added 'consequence' of major events not occurring. :)_

"Uh, thanks?" Cho added as their attention shifted back to the letter.

_Feel free to swing on by the school if you're in the area._

_Polly and Fate Gostelow_

"There's something else in here." Ryouma added as she dived into the box, pulling out what appeared to be a mermaid plush, except the fabric was colored a translucent blue color. This was then followed by a short metal rod, which she handed to Cho. After, she was hoisted back out by the trapper.

"Hm…" Cho whispered, giving the rod a feel. A flick follows, revealing it to be her rake. Outside of that strange design choice, it looked mostly the same.

Once the weapon was back in rod form, the baker picked up the other stuff.

"That was nice of them." Airu remarked and placed a hand on the doorknob, opening the door in one solid motion. Inside, Lilithmon was helping Hiroshi with something, possibly writing. She never actually got out of her pajamas. Though, her pupil at least made an attempt to dress normally. A doll was sitting in his lap. Well, not anymore. Mostly because it was replaced by Ryouma.

"Better?" she whispers, a pair of arms carefully squeezing her. It felt nice, almost calming.

"Welcome back." the mega digimon greeted, only to notice the outfit at Airu's side. "No fair! I always wanted to dress up as a slutty teacher."

Airu rolled her eyes as she and Cho sat down. After, Lilithmon took a deep breath and let her attention focus in on the pair.

"Mommy was bad and wanted you both dead. Like, very dead. I tried to argue otherwise, but she doesn't listen…"

Both girls did a double take. While Mrs Suzaki was Airu's mom and stuff, this didn't make sense. What reason would this woman even have for wanting to kill her daughter? There were the references of Airu being tied into something, but nothing concrete.

Yet, Airu gave her 'older sister' a hug.

"It'll be alright." she explained, Lilithmon seeming slightly. "I'll talk to mommy and sort this out, okay?"

Lilithmon gave a nod and the two broke away.

"So, where is Mrs Suzaki?" Cho asked and got a sigh from Hiroshi. "Let me guess, she and her husband are at the castle, chatting it up?"

"Yeah." Hiroshi answered and shot a glance towards Ryouma. "Your case has been brought down. I made sure that all your clothes were cleaned."

The doll blushed, trying to hide it as best they could. Hiroshi most definitely noticed.

"Thank you." Ryouma remarked and made her way over to her case, her friend following right behind.

While they was doing that, Airu and Cho decided to take this chance to head up to their room. Mostly it was to hang some clothes up, but there was a chance that some playing with dolls was in order.

"Regina, look at that wonderful castle!" Airu joked as she propped Cure Heart into a flirty position. "Wouldn't you love to live in one?"

"I guess." Cho answered as she moving Regina to face Cure Heart. "Though, better than this dump that you call a home."

Airu shifted Cure Heart so that the doll could give a slap to her friend. A playful one, but a slap nonetheless.

"What are you talking about? You got a life in a castle beforehand. "

A smile, even if

"Then why don't I be your castle then, Sugar~" Cho flirted and pushed Airu down. Somehow, neither girl managed to crush the doll they were holding in the process. A short yet relaxing makeout session was the result. It was probably would've gone on longer, if not for the large gloved fist that crashed through window.

"Since you refuse to follow orders, I am shall take lethal force upon you." a voice announced, watching Airu and Cho get up. "This is your only chance to stand down peacefully.

"Now what?" the trapper remarked as she focused in on the newest hole in her room. Standing outside, the towering figure of what appeared to be a T-Rex of all things. But instead of being left bare, they were draped in the red fabric of a ballroom gown with puffed-up sleeves and white opera gloves. Several silver lace petticoats puffed the dress up, with the lace bloomers underneath just visible for all in the general area. A pair of red heels hung to its feet, going quite well with all the makeup and lipstick applied to the dino's face. Finishing off the look, was a golden crown. Of course, that was not getting into the woman standing on top of the dino's head. She had gone with a sparkly pink princess dress with matching heeled mary janes and gloves. A light coat of makeup covered her face while pink orb earrings had been attached to her ears.

"Bow before your benevolent ruler, Queen Marissa." the figure announced as a girl dressed in a forest green dress appeared. She seems familiar. Doesn't explain her trying to hide her feelings at the moment. "And this is my lovely lady-in-waiting, Usagi."

* * *

 

Notes:

The return of the cast of A Different Data Squad. I guess I'm full of surprises. They might get a chapter, I haven't quite decided yet.

.

On our next date: Panic... at the party.


	29. Welcome to the party

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Out of all the things in the universe, princesses sat at a comfortable third place in Airu's list of favorite things. But at the moment, they were on the most terrifying list. In what place, we're not quite certain.

"I guess that's a digimon?" she started and pulled her phone out. After getting it unlocked and to the analyzer screen, she pointed it towards the behemoth outside.

_Now Scanning…_

_Loading entry..._

**Queen Rex**

**Special Moves: Queen's Parasol, Love Inferno**

**.**

**Airu: I guess it's cute and kind of a digimon?**

**Cho: I'm not sure if 'cute' is the right word to describe it, Sugar.**

**Marissa: Cute works for me. Especially when it's crushing my foes!**

_Scan Complete._

"So what do you want from us, your highness?" Cho called out and watched the supposed ruler let out a laugh.

"I wish to get to know the subjects that lie below me." Marissa answered, a pair of blank stares being her answer.

After she said that, Queen Rex extended a gloved hand out for them to get on. Reluctantly, the pair boarded and made their way up. While there were a couple times that their eyes shifted to the ground, they did their best to not let it get to them.

"Next time, can we meet on the ground?"

"I guess." Marissa answered and watched the duo carefully scale her partner's head. "I was instructed to push you to your deaths and then stomp on you until there was nothing left."

Her answer was a reminder of the last hour or two. While not great, the initial shock was no longer there.

"Thank you." Airu whispered, helping her partner up. Once there, Marissa let her attention focus on them. For some reason, it was Cho who she was going to start off with.

"Hmm…" Usagi added and pulled out a measuring tape. She then handed it over to her master, who got to work measuring the baker's proportions. "Is there anything that I can do for you, your majesty?"

Marissa shook her head and continuing her work on the baker. Eventually, she pulled a pad out and wrote something down. Then she moved onto Airu.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing?" the trapper inquired and got an eye roll in return. While this hadn't been the answer she wanted, it was still an answer.

That came right as Ryouma decided to join them. For the moment, the doll had switched to a clean version of her regular clothes.

"Oh hey guys! I just finished episode 7…" she announced, noticing the large dino outside mid-sentence. "Uh… do you need some help?"

Airu shook her head, which resulted in Ryouma getting picked up by Usagi.

"Hmm… I think you would look best as lords." Marissa continued, scribbling down something else. "Thank you, Queen Rex."

The dinosaur let out a roar. A happy one, I might add.

Carefully, they made their way down off the behemoth dino and over to a nearby castle spire. Inside, more sandstone seemed to surround them at all sides while a floor of the nicest violet carpet they could find protected their footwear and feet from something or other.

"Before you can be part of my court today, you must dress the part." Marissa continued and shot the trio a look. "At least for today."

Airu took a deep breath, grabbing hold of her girlfriend's hand. Every part of her was on edge, with no signs of reduced stress on the horizon.

"Are you alright, Sugar?" Cho remarked and watched Airu shake her head. "Me neither. Let's just deal with whatever they want with us and then head home."

A nod, followed by the trapper resting herself against Cho's shoulder. In return she got a pat. Which was right as Ryouma managed to meet up with them again.

"As I was saying…" the doll announced. "I kind of continued to watch from where you gals left off."

For a brief moment, Ryouma was certain she saw the duo's eyes turn red. So she took a

"Do you still want to talk about it?" she nervously remarked and got a pair of nods. "Narrators?"

Of course.

Having managed to impress Riko's sister, our heroes are taken under the sea to a village where mermaids live. There, the task is to open a clam through voice. Yeah. I don't get it either. After everyone fails at that (big surprise), Mirai and Riko take a break. Which gets them jumped by a trio of adolescent mermaids. After a bit of negotiating especially when they find out that the mermaids have a legend about the ability of flight without wings, they get led to a large clam that they believe will let them fly when it opens up.

Turtle guy shows up and is like 'give me your shit' to the mermaids. So Mirai and Riko evacuate everyone. They then attempt to transform, only to find Moforun gone. At first, they just ran around and hid behind some rocks. But with admission that the duo had nothing to fear, the clam opened up and they entered their newly found sapphire forms. After beating up the monster of the week, they pass their test with flying colors.

While this was all happened, the trio had been making their way down what seemed like an endless staircase. It isn't, for the record.

"How do you know?"

Ex had deliver something here with his cat for some reason. I think it was a baseball bat.

"Care to elaborate?" Airu inquired, getting a sigh from offscreen.

He was a midget that dressed up hoodies and sulked around like an angstlord. I get that he was supposed to keep track of me, but come on. It probably didn't help that all the other servants are girls.

"Huh." Cho added as the staircase finally ended, revealing a door into a new room. Which meant that our lovely ruler had to grab her keys and find the right one.

"Here it is." Marissa announced and slid the key in.

Compared to the area that they just left, this one had gone for a more softer style and looked

Wood walls had replaced stone, with the floor going with a light gray carpet. Outfits in all sorts of shapes and styles hung in place, awaiting use by people.

"Kokatorimon?"

A massive bird poked his head out. He seemed to have been waiting for some

"Yes, my lord?" he announced and turned his attention to the trio. "Two more Lords and a doll?"  
"Yep." Usagi announced as she tried her best to ignore the gazes of her former co-workers. As nice as it was to see the former ranger in such a good mood, that doesn't change the fact that she went full-on cannibal on a bunch of people. "Uh… who are you people and why are you talking as if you knew me?"

Oh crap. Delta did something, didn't they?

It's possible.

Back on our main focus, the wannabe ruler and her lady-in-waiting made their exit. Which on top of preventing us from actually asking any questions, meant that Kokatorimon could do whatever he wanted with them.

"Which of you three wants to go first?" the bird inquired as he looked the measurements over.

"I will." Airu answered and took a step forward, with the tailor pulling her off to the side. That left her girlfriend and the doll to their own devices. Which might not have been the best idea.

"What do you think this Marissa chick means by 'Noble'?" Cho whispered and got a shrug from Ryouma. "Well, you're no help."

She got a giggle for that.

"You better not be fighting!" Airu shouted from her dressing booth, forcing her girlfriend and her friend to stand up straight. "I'm nearly dressed!"

"Of course, Sugar~" Cho answered and shot Ryouma a quick glance. "But Ryouma said you look silly in a dress."

Ryouma began jumping up and down, shaking her fists as best as she could.

"I did not, you little…" she started, only to be cut off by Airu exiting the dressing booth. "Oh my."

Compared to the slutty getup the trapper had been wearing before, this seemed to suit her far better. Even if it was just a difference of an actual long skirt not something that's passing itself off as one. Or in other words, Aiu was in a pink jumper dress with a pair of flats. Nothing special.

"What do you think?" the trapper remarked and struck a pose, watching her partner start to drool. Her focus shifted away from her and back over to Kokatorimon. "Can you do my girlfriend next?"

Kokatorimon's gaze focused away from his latest creation and over to her two companions.

"Is she the one who's drooling?"

Airu gave a nod.

"Understood." Kokatorimon answered and let his attention turn to the baker. "Come with me, 'girlfriend'."

"It's Cho." Cho explained, following it up with a deep breath as they approached the dressing booth. While she was doing that, Airu let her focus turn to Ryouma.

"Did you really say I look silly in a dress?" Airu inquired and watched the doll shake her head. She took a deep breath, carefully picking the doll up. "I'm guessing Cho wanted to have a little fun."

Ryouma shot her a look and reluctantly accepted the gesture.

"Is this better for the moment, at least?" the trapper continued. "If not I can put y-"  
"I'll be alright like this." Ryouma answered and shifted her focus to Airu. "Thanks for letting me play with your brother/sister."

"Of course."

After she said that, Cho exited the dressing room and Airu's jaw dropped. Compared to her own dress, Kokatorimon had gone for a dark purple shirt dress with tights and a matching flats. Which at the same time, brought a nice level of contrast to her own outfit.

"What do you think, Sugar?" Cho inquired, only to get a jump hug from her girlfriend. "I'll take that as 'wonderful'?"

"Absolutely." Airu answered and handed over Ryouma to Kokatorimon. The bird gave a nod, carefully placing the doll in the booth. Compared to the work done on them, Kokatorimon had decided to go for a more 'hands-on' approach.

"Not that one."  
"Nope."

"What do you think?"

Kokatorimon shot a glance inside and gave a nod.

"Understood." he remarked and helped her out, revealing a doll that looked more at home in say, Rozen Maiden rather than a event like this. Oh right, the outfit. For this occasion, Ryouma had gone for a doll-sized black poofy ballroom gown with a white petticoat underneath. A bonnet hung in her hair, while her hands had been fitted with a pair of short gloves.

Though, I guess we know a part of her takes after someone in particular.

"Uh…" Ryouma remarked as she exited the dressing booth, her mary janes tapping against the floor. "Thanks, I guess?"

Carefully, Airu scooped her up and the trio turned their attention to Kokatorimon.

"Just head through the door ahead." the bird explained and took a deep breath. "Thanks for not making a big fuss. Had to nearly kick the ass of the last group."

"Of course." Airu answered, only for a thought to come. "Was the last group my parents a part of, by any chance?"

Kokatorimon gave her another once over and nodded.

"Yes." he answered. "They claimed they had a big announcement to make and one of the men wanted to be in a dress. Managed to talk him down to a skirtsuit."

After saying that, the bird opened the door and the trio headed on through.

Unlike the previous hallway, this one was much shorter and more to the point. Though, that could just be the balcony that showed off all the patrons down below contributing to that.

"I think I can see your parents, Sugar." Cho whispered as they made their way down, scanning for anything of note. Just barely, they could make out Triglav and St Clair as well. They were chatting with an unknown man, who had gone with a red cloak and a pair of aviator goggles. But no sign of the man in the skirt suit.

A group of what appeared to be plague doctors and a dog were mingling with a group of clerics. And towards the side, a court jester dressed in orange and blue was having a conversation with a woman dressed in a skimpy set of metal armor. A purple wig hung over her head, while a halberd of sorts contrasted with a set of pistols at her side. Nor did that explain the armored purple wyvern she was sitting on.

"Should we just track them down?" Ryouma whispered, pointing towards Amazoneko and someone who might be Hephaestus. "Or is this something that can wait?"

"Now."

They turned around, finding the Queen of Dolls standing before them. Currently, she was adorn in her nicest gothic lolita ensemble and makeup. Ren stood beside her, dressed in his usual outfit. Yasyamon stood beside him, quite happy with the party that they were crashing.

"I call it being late." Ren answered as Yasyamon flashed a piece of paper. Which looked more like a coupon for a couple of pizzas than an actual party invite. Not that it mattered.

"Okay…" Airu whispered, glad to have the pair with them.

They made their way down the stairs and pushed their way through. When they got to the ground floor, Cho pulled out the rod and gave it a slight flick. Her rake formed in her hands, which was kept close to her. Not to arouse suspicion, of course.

They made their way through the crowd, eventually reaching their target.

"Mom, Dad, we need to talk." Airu explained, finding the bear trap and net around her arm. She grabbed the bear trap, her attention focusing on the group in front of her. "Better yet, all of you can start giving us some proper answers."

Notes:

I really loved writing this chapter. Maybe it was the excuse to put characters in dresses, or perhaps the setup.

Outside of that, having Marissa have Queen Rex over DutchessGreymon is more future-proofing than anything else. ;)

.

On our next date: There's moment to live and moment to die...


	30. This is War

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

"Now children." Mr Suzaki remarked and let his focus focused on the trio. "What makes you think that?"

Their attention focused on Airu's father. While the skirtsuit adorning him was not what they were expecting, it worked. I still think a proper dress would be better.

"Maybe it was the fact that Sagomon let it slip?" Airu remarked and grabbed hold of her bear trap. "Or the fact that Jesmon has been in my memories and changed them?"

The group looked away, mumbling something among each other. Strangely, it was the man in the cloak and goggles who chose to open his mouth.

"So what? If you have a complaint, face us head on." the man remarked as a piximon appeared from his cloak. "Especially since you have taken something from me, lily bitch."

His gaze focused on Cho, as a hand reached forward. It met a bear trap. Bear trap won that round.

"Don't you dare." Airu muttered, her eyes lit with fury. Her hands "If you want her, you'll have to go through me and my friends. We will make it hurt all the way."

The man only laughed.

"You just couldn't be a good little girl, could you?" he continued, getting his hand out of the bear trap. "You couldn't just get your brains fucked out as some crack-"

Cho's rake slams into the man, followed by Yasyamon smashing their swords into him. I guess it's quite clear how everyone feels about this.

"Are you really sure about this, boss? Because I'm fairly certain were clearly outmatched at the moment." the fairy digimon remarked, finding his remark falling upon deaf ears. "Of course, Agni. I doubt Morva would really approve."

Almost on cue, Jesmon appeared along with HVMonitamon and a very reluctant Lilithmon. None of them wanted to take part in this.

"I refuse, mommy." Lilithmon announced and joined up with Airu and company.

"Then I'll punish you severely." Mrs Suzaki countered, pulling what looked to be a whip. That's going to leave a mark. "And it'll hurt. A lot."

Triglav didn't say anything, instead choosing to just watch.

While that was all happening, Freya had focused was solely on the cosplayer and her wyvern.

"I'll get you this time!" she announced and blasted up into the air, getting ignored by her targets in the process. Who were chatting with a certain jester in the far-off corner. Considering all that has gone on for them, we think that might be for the better.

"Jestery likes your costume, Mrs Camilla!" Jestery announced and snapped a photo of the couple. "Though, Jestery is more surprised that Mrs Camilla found an actual halberd!"

'Mrs Camilla' let out a sigh, getting a giggle from her mount. She shot her a quick glance and let out a groan right after. A bit of adjusting her hair later, the woman finally returned her attention to Jestery.

"It was quite a challenge." Mrs Camilla started, shooting another glance to the wyvern she was riding. "Though, I could argue finding the right armor for this big girl was even more of a challenge."

In response to that, the wyvern bucked up slightly. Not enough to knock her precious rider off, but enough to make it clear that she didn't agree. It probably wanted to put in her own two cents, but didn't want to break character for the moment. Especially with all that armor between the two of them they had to wear.

"Now die!"

A bolt of energy shot down towards the trio, giving them more than enough time to get up in the air and find their prospective opponent. Which wasn't that hard, with Freya sparkling like a spotlight in her mech suit.

"I beg your pardon?" Mrs 'Camilla' remarked and flung her wig into their opponent, revealing a set of short brunette locks underneath. "You'll have to try harder than that."

"You little…" Freya screamed and charged up for another attack, only to find the axe embedded into her armor.

**Gale Strike!**

Mrs Camilla's wyvern pulled her tail back, slapping it's barb into the armor and grabbed hold of the halberd.

"Now Alice?" the creature whispered as her grip tightened on the weapon.

"Yes, Elena." Mrs. 'Camilla' answered and nodded, watching her wife pull the weapon out. Carefully, she pulled herself up on top of her wife and switched forms, taking on not the familiar neko dressed in a black trenchcoat, but a nekomata dressed in red plate armor with an optional demonic looking helmet. Her fur still shined with that same onyx color, with a pair of chocolate eyes and pink lips to boot.

The halberd sailed back towards her and the knight grabbed hold, switching to her guns. She gave one more nod and the wyvern disappeared, getting replaced with a dragon adorned in a dark blue sundress. Purple scales covered her body, with a pair of wings hanging out of her back. A pair of horns twisted into a tiara-like shape sat atop her head, while a mane of puce-colored hair awaited brushing. Finishing off this outfit, was a belt holding in a pair of scimitars while a pair of sandals somehow held her clawed feet in.

"Anything I can do for you, Alice?" Elena remarked as she grabbed hold of her wife. "Outside of softening this pathetic assassin?"

Alice shook her head and gave Freya one more swing with her axe.

"Nothing at the moment, your maj- I mean Elena." the knight whispered and took a deep breath, reminding herself that she did not need to do that anymore. They were both royalty and calling one another 'your majesty' was unnecessary. And it looked weird for a married couple of their prestige to be speaking like that.

Carefully, the couple floated back down and switched forms once again. This time though, it was their usual outfits and human forms. The only real difference was the badge over Alice's heart, which displayed a cartoony-looking dragon for some reason. Boo, I wanted to see them in action.

"You do realize that act could result in a declaration of war?" Alice warned and turned her attention to Freya and then to Triglav. "Do you have anything to say?  
Triglav's gaze then shifted to Airu.

"It was her fault, of course!" the chosen remarked and pointed a finger towards Airu. "Yeah! She's the one who freaked Freya out!"

Both Alice and Elena rolled their eyes.

"We've met her before and know otherwise." Elena explained and shifted to her humanoid form, flying over to where Airu and company had been standing. "Now, let me ask you again. Do you really wish to go to war against all of us? Because I wouldn't mind settling this right here.

The man in the cloak let out a laugh.

"Totally."

You idiot! What makes you think that was a wonderful idea? You're not Luffy D. Monkey!

"Who's that?" the man remarked and got a pair of face palms from our narrators. In retrospect, may it would have been better not to make random anime references like that.

"I think it's time to go." Airu whispered and motioned for her teammates to follow. They complied, making their exit with a bit of an apology to Marissa.

"It's alright." the queen remarked and made a glance towards the chosen who caused this mess. "They were idiots to begin with." Marissa remarked and looked them over. "You can keep the outfits."

"Thank you." Cho remarked, making their exit right after. Outside, the night hung overhead and the stars twinkled about. "Want to have a bit of an actual party?"

She got a bunch of yays in response to that as they headed inside.

"Agni was a moron." Lilithmon remarked and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about that."

Cho and Airu's focus turned to the woman, who was currently drinking some grape juice.

"Is that why you didn't come?"

They got a nod.

"Look at me." Lilithmon continued and took a sip. "I'm supposed to be protecting mommy, but here I am…"

Her gaze fell towards the counter. She muttered something under her breath, almost as if she was ready to throw in the towel for some reason.

"Anything we can help you with, sis?" Airu added and caught a couple glances from her teammates. "It's a long story."

Yasyamon let out a snicker, but got a glance from the mega.

"Just because your kind call themselves 'god' does not make you above the rules." Lilithmon whispered and switched to her ophanimon form. "Especially in the face of a true one."

Not going to lie, it's hard to take both of you seriously. Calling oneself a 'god' is a good way to get your ass kicked and proved otherwise.

"Huh." Ryouma remarked and picked Airu's laptop up. "Anyone want to watch precure?"

Of course, everyone else was more focused on getting back into their usual outfits than answering the doll's question. Once they were done, she copied them. Then they answered her question.

"Sure." Airu and Cho answered, making their way over to the couch. Ren and Yasyamon reluctantly joined them as they settled in for episode 8.

Having saved the mermaids, our heroes now must take a photo of a pegasus. And by photo, I mean magic photo. I guess regular cameras don't work here? Fuck if I know. Of course, Riko sucks at flying brooms. Mirai is slightly better, but they have Ha-chan wanting to help. Which results in them crashing into a flower field and losing Moforun. Of course, they get attacked, but manage to find the linkle stone pink tourmaline and use it. Then our duo get their photo, completing their test and bring them one step closer.

"Huh." Ren remarked as Lilithmon brought some of Cho's shortcake over. "Thank you, Miss Suzaki."

Lilithmon shook her head.

"Delia is just fine." the mega explained and sat herself down with Airu and company. "Even if mommy doesn't call me that anymore."

Right on cue, a large shadow seemed to engulf her.

"Yes, give into your despair." the shadow announced as the sound of the front door getting crushed echoed throughout. "Now, grab hold of what should be yours."

"Of course." a different voice announced as Mrs Suzaki appeared, even though she should still be at the party. "Time Shift."

Bright light engulfed all inside, taking them along for the ride…

* * *

Notes:

Another fun chapter to write, mostly because I got to have some fun with this party. By the end of this, I kind of lost track of how many outfits I put the characters in. Outside of that, we're now onto the next hunt.

.

Next Time: Where to that place where we got fun and games...


	31. In the jungle...

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Astamon opened her eyes.

For the moment, the gangster was dressed in a panther mask and suit that sort of went with her faded eyes and silver hair. But, was quite ready to be done with today. Getting stuck in what looked like an overgrown jungle in an unknown world was far from her ideal definition of 'fun'. No, she rather be in some semblance of a house, maybe warming up with a nice cup of cocoa. But the gangster doubted such an opportunity would come up anytime soon.

"Now where is she?" Astamon remarked and pulled out a pair of binoculars. She let her gaze focus through the instrument, searching through the general area for any sign of actual people among the trees. If nothing else, it was better than waiting for someone to just fall from the branches. Even if it did look absolutely ridiculous to just watch. "Come on out, Ryouma!"

Silence followed, until...

"Aaaah!"

She looked up, managing to catch the doll from her freefall.

"There you are." Astamon greeted and stared at her for a couple seconds. "Why haven't you made an effort to find me? I've been waiting at the train station for the past couple days. Especially when you dropped that girl off."

Ryouma gave her a confused look, unsure of what to really say in that moment. In between everything that had happened to her, there had little in the way of actual relaxation and rest.

"Oh right..." she remarked as she watched Airu and Cho make their own descent. And by that, I mean Cho bridal-carrying her girlfriend down. After, they let their attention turn to Ryouma and her newfound partner. "I found my partner! Though, she's a whole lot taller than I was expecting."

"That's awesome, Ryouma." the trapper answered and found herself as the sole subject of Astamon's attention.

"So you are Airu Suzaki." the gangster remarked and looked Airu over. "I've heard many things about you."

"Good or bad?" Airu inquired and took a deep breath. While her reputation had never been her greatest priority, it still was something to keep an eye on in the face of all that had happened in the last couple days.

"Mostly good." Astamon explained and picked Airu up, letting her gaze finally match up with her own. "Sorry. The mask sometimes makes it hard for me to keep eye contact."

She got a nod in return, followed by a look over.

"Understood." the trapper answered as her 'holder' took a deep breath.

"The Nekove empire asked me to send along a message." Astamon continued and slowly brought her hand down. Once there, Airu rejoined her girlfriend.

After, Astamon dug a bit into her pockets and pulled out what looked like a manilla letter. Which looked quite disproportionate to the gangster's actual hands.. "Would you like me to read it to you?"

Airu gave a nod, with Cho copying her.

Seeing that, Astamon cleared her throat and held the letter up for all to see.

_To Mrs Suzaki and co,_

_We would like to meet you at our home in the Nekove Empire. Just take the ferry and we'll meet you there._

_-Queen Elena and Alice Zwingli_

For a few brief seconds, both Airu and Cho just stood there. As cool as it might possibly be to meet an actual pair of queens in their actual kingdom, it felt odd and almost bizzaro. Ren might fit the status of a royal, but did they? They were just some random les-

Cho shot the sky a look. I guess that answers our question.

"We would love to." Airu whispered and turned her attention back to the tree. "You two can come down now!"

Ren and Yasyamon complied, carefully making their way down. It was far more graceful than it needed to be. As expected from such a regal pair.

"Hi." Ren greeted and shifted the tiara and his wig back into place. "You mentioned the Nekove empire, right?"

"Yes. What about it?" Astamon remarked, only for no question to come. Though Yasyamon perked up and something under his breath. Then his attention turned to the gangster herself. "Can I help you, princ-"

That additional remark got cut off by Yasyamon slamming a blade into a tree. That was truly helpful. Maybe we should ask some other questions. Like, what are your favorite foods? What is your motto? Do you like candy by any chance?

"Uh…" the gangster continued. 'Wait. What's with this weird voice I'm hearing. Are you guy's ghosts?"  
No, we're just the narrators. There's a big difference.

"So I'm guessing our team is mostly complete?" Cho remarked and got a nod from Astamon. "Good. Now we need to figure out where we are."

Before they had a chance to really engage in that sort of observation, the sound of bushes rustling interrupted them. So they did the natural thing in this situation. Hide and hope to god that whoever that was coming their way was friendly.

"Uh… Why are you people hiding?" a voice announced as what appeared to be a woman stood before them.

For this occasion, she had gone with black blouse with a white undershirt and a black pencil skirt. A pair of pumps comfortably held her feet in, while a scrunchie held her long flowing black hair in a bit of a ponytail.

"We aren't certain if you were a foe to us or not." Airu explained and got a confused glance from the woman. "Is there something wrong?"

The woman shook her head and let her gaze focus in on the trapper. She couldn't put it where, but there was something familiar about this person. But try as as she might, no answer seemed to come.

"Not at all." the woman answered as Cho approached. "Though, I probably should introduce myself."

"I'm Youko." she greeted and let a smile hang on her face. "What are your guy's names?"

Silence fell over her audience, with Airu being the first to speak up.

"Airu." Airu explained, watching Youko freeze up for a second. The woman mumbled something under her breath as the trapper pointed towards Cho. "And that's Cho, my partner."

"Are we talking 'digimon partner' or 'romantic partner'?"

The question caught both the trapper and baker off guard, with neither girl quite certain of how to answer. Sure, the former made more sense in this context but, the latter described their feelings far better. Which made it kind of a crapshoot either way they said it.

"Both." Cho answered and let one of her hands sit on Airu's back. "I'm both her digimon partner and her girlfriend."

For a few seconds. Youko just stared at them. It was possible that there was something else that she wanted to say, but kept her mouth shut. Thankfully, her focus did move over to Ren and Yasyamon.

"How about you two. What's your story?"

Both Airu and Cho's gazes shot over to the duo, possibly wondering what answer they would get.

"I'm Ren." the bomber remarked and received a glare from his partner. "That's Yasyamon. He thinks that I'm some princess from a far-off land."

Your something. We're not sure what this something is. If you do figure that out, do tell us.

Compared to Cho's response, Youko seemed to take Ren's far more gracefully. And by that I mean she let out a giggle and ignored the rambling of the narrators.

"That could just mean that he likes you." she suggested and watched Ren's face turn a bright shade of red.

"Impossible! That can't be the case at all!" Ren announced and got a snicker in return. "Just because there may possibly be some truth to it doesn't make it the one possibility. That, am I straight."

You can be gay and not love your digimon. There's bound to be some gal or even guy that would love to have a princess like you.

Our narrator's remark did little in the way of soothing the bomber over. If anything, it probably made him madder. But he took a deep breath.

"Sorry. That was quite rude of me." Ren continued and let his gaze shift back to Youko. But, it would seem that Youko was more focused on Ryouma than our unlucky bomber. "Fine by me."

Of course, that also meant picking her up and doing a full-on examination. Because that won't get her choked at all.

"What's your name, little doll?" the woman inquired, holding Ryouma even closer to her face.

Ryouma shook her fist towards Youko, only to catch a glance from Astamon.

"Let's try that again." Astamon explained and picked Ryouma up from Youko, holding her up so that the woman could proper see her. "Hi, I'm Astamon and this Ryouma."

Youko gave the doll's hair a slight rub, even if Ryouma didn't want it. After, Airu turned her attention to her.

"If you don't mind me asking, do you know where we are?" she asked and got a confused glance in return. "We're a bit lost and just got here."

"This is the digital world." Youko answered. "By any chance, may I see your digivices?"

* * *

Notes:

About time this digimon fic actually had something sort of digimon-related. Right?

.

On our next date: Things get worse. You didn't think it was possible, but we somehow managed to do it.


	32. Child's Play

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

"Uh…" Airu started and debated her options.

On one hand, this was a good time to get some more information on what was even going on and stuff. But, they were also running the risk of doing something incredibly stupid and creating a time paradox. Personally, I would prefer to avoid those sorts of outcomes if possible. Not because they're hard to fix (far from it), but instead frustrating and unpredictable to really work around.

So the trapper took a deep breath, her attention returning to Youko.

"Why do you want to see their digivices in the first place?" Cho inquired and Youko took a deep breath.

"I need to make sure that you people are chosen or not." Youko countered and reached into her blouse, pulling out a dark purple digivice. Compared to the ones that they had been carrying around, hers resembled the sort carried around by Tai and his truly wonderful gang of thugs.

"They were not a gang of thugs!" Airu shouted, only to put a finger to her bottom lip. "Wait. Are you talking about some other version?"

Different version. I doubt the canon versions of them would have done the things these ones did.

Youko took a deep breath, some phrase or sentence slipping out of her mouth. Didn't sound too nice either.

"While I have no clue what you 'things' are referring too, having to deal with this threat while those assholes sit out is far more frustrating than it should be. Especially when our problems are entirely valid." she snarled and spat on the ground. "But I digress. Digivices, now."

Reluctantly, all three chosen pulled their devices out and held them out for their interrogator to examine. From the way she was looking them over, this 'right answer' was somehow very, very wrong.

"You lied." Youko muttered and gave the trio a glare. "These are just regular smartpho-"

"Mommy!"

Before she had a chance to finish that particular sentence, an adolescent girl ran up. Unlike Youko, she was dressed in what looked to be a light grey dress with matching flats. A pair of blue eyes examined everything, while a head of short black hair bobbed about. Finishing off her look, was a set of long purple nails. They had a bit of acrylic appearance to them, with little in the way of detail or hardness.

"What is it now, Delia?" Youko remarked and looked towards the child. While she looked alright, something seemed… off. Even more so than her interaction with Airu earlier.

"Mommy, there's a monster that wants to kill you." Delia whispered.

Youko took a deep breath.

"Delia, I need you to stay with these people for the moment."

She shot the trio a quick glance.

"I will let the whole 'digivice' thing slide for the moment." Youko remarked and took another deep breath. "I just ask of you to take care of my 'daughter'."

She got a pair of glares in return. If probably didn't help that she threw a fit over their digivices supposedly not being the 'real deal'. For all she knows, this could be the last chance to see any semblance of actual people before things go horribly wrong in some capacity.

"Deal." Airu answered and gave Youko a nod. But before the woman had a chance to walk over and figure what exactly wanted to kill her, Airu let out a cough. "Just one thing."

Youko turned back around and muttered something towards the trapper. It was probably something rude or perhaps mean-spirited. Not that either I or my wife managed to catch it.

"If I were you, I would introduce Delia to your actual daughter." Airu added and got a look from her girlfriend. "Especially if you don't want any jealousy on the flip side of all of this."

Youko froze up, almost threatening to become a statue of sorts in the face of all this. Not a good move, but what do we know?

"What are you talking about? Delia is my only daughter." Youko countered, getting a glance from Delia. Though, she seemed more excited than anythingelse. .

"You have another daughter, mommy?" Delia inquired, jumping up and down. "When can I meet them? Pretty pleasse?"

Her mother sighed, giving her daughter one more look.

"I'll consider it, Miss... Airu." Youko whispered and ran towards the thicker parts of the jungle. But not before muttering 'bitch' under her breath. We get the feeling that's not going bite her in the butt at all.

Once she was finally out of sight, Cho focused in on Airu.

"Let me guess. She's your mom, Sugar?" the baker inquired and got a nod in return. "Huh."

Though, it was kind of obvious when you put it that way. I wonder where her husband is?

"Uh… What are you guys talking about?" Delia remarked and made her way over to Astamon. "If I'm careful, can I climb on you?"

Astamon let out a giggle and picked the digimon up, setting the child down on her shoulder.

"Thank you!"

"No prob." Astamon answered as Ryouma noticed their guest. "You don't mind?"

Ryouma let her attention turn to her new companion. While it's possible that she would have preferred to have someone like Hiroshi be there with her, Delia would do. Even if Delia seemed more than happy to see a doll like her.

"Not at all." Ryouma answered, letting her focus turn to the child. "Just how old are you, Delia?"

Delia stared off into space, trying to decide the best way to answer the question presented to her. Sure, there had to be a sort of honest answer. At the same time, there was always the fun answer in the moment. But they were two different things and should never be mixed. At all.

"Adolescent." Delia answered and cracked a grin, only to get a glare from Ryouma in return. "Okay…"

She took a deep breath. While 'mommy' possibly wouldn't approve of her telling people, something about them seemed 'nice', almost peaceful to some extent.

"I'm eight." the girl continued and took a deep breath. "But one day, I will be an adult just like Mommy!"

Carefully, Delia stood up and puffed her chest out. Though, it didn't quite have that much of an effect on her sole audience member.

"Oh…" she remarked and gazed over her babysitters. "Hey! Are the rest of you adults?"

Her question seemed to catch the rest of them by surprise, with Ren making a glance towards Airu and Cho.

"I guess?" Airu remarked as her girlfriend gave a shrug. "Do you have any clue, narrators?"

For a few brief seconds, silence fell over the pair. They were possibly the worst ones to ask about this, especially coming from a time in this multiverse where you were unlikely to last long. As a result, such quandaries were a mixed bag for them.

Sure.

"That isn't a very good answer." Delia remarked.

Well excuse us for not really having that good of grasp on that sort of thing. We're more warriors than mentors. Probably doesn't help that a lot of people who could probably give you a good answer are dead and stuff.

"That sucks." Delia answered, only to remember something that Airu had said. She hadn't remembered Mommy mentioning anything about another daughter. "Airu, can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Delia." Airu answered and let her gaze shift towards Delia. "What do you need?"

"You mentioned that Mommy has a second daughter." Delia started, letting out a deep breath. "But Mommy told me that I'm an only child. Why would Mommy lie about such a thing?"

Silence fell over the trapper. So she let her attention turn to the young girl, her girlfriend joining as best she could.

"Mommy is possibly unsure of how to introduce you to the rest of the family." Airu whispered, letting the next sentence fall right out. "There's also the chance that when this is all over, Mommy will have to leave you here."

Tears began to cascade from Delia's eyes, with Airu and Cho carefully making their way up Astamon.

"I'm sorry. That was rude of me." Airu whispered as the pair wrapped their arms around Delia. "It was just a possibility to think about, not a definite fact."

Delia's tears slowly dried up, with Cho's attention turning to her.

"Can I ask you a question now, Delia?" she inquired and got a nod in return. "Are you a digimon?"

Delia gave a nod.

"What digimon are you then?"  
"I'm a lilithmon!"  
Her answer seemed to catch both Airu and Cho by surprise. But that could be chalked up to them expecting it to be something else. Like sorceressmon. The nails should have been a dead giveaway.  
"Thank you for telling us." they both remarked and made their way down. While they were doing that, Delia carefully climbed up onto Astamon's head. Once there, she began scanning the area for anything of importance. "Your mommy should be visible from here." Cho explained and pointed out into the dist

But try as she might, there was no sign of Youko. So she made a second examination of the area. Still no sign of her. "Where did she go?"

"Are you looking for mommy, Delia?"

The girl's gaze shifted to the ground. What appeared to be a blossomon stood quite comfortably, but something seemed off with it.

First off, I don't remember any subspecies of their kind having smoldering vines or flaming petals on its face. The body of a palmon anthro hung off to the creature's left side, charred and limp.

In the plant's vines, the body of Youko was held. Currently, it was going through a mix of struggling against it's organic bindings and exhibiting flickers of what looked like an armored woman.

"I probably should introduce myself." the plant digimon announced and bent part of its body to simulate a bow. "I'm PyreBlossomon."

.  
"Fuck." Sachiko whispered as Chaos's focus shifted to her. "It's her, isn't it?"

'Yeah.' the white mage signed back. 'But I thought she had burned herself alive?'

She got a sigh in return, with her wife choosing to exit the room for the moment.

'Where are you going?'

Sachiko's focus returned to her.

"Grabbing either Valia or Death." Sachiko answered and watched Chaos grab hold of her. "Why not?"

Chaos looks towards the ground.

'That's how far greater messes occur.' her wife answers, focusing more on the ground at the moment. 'Yes it sucks. But they'll make it through."

That got her a nod. A reluctant one.

* * *

Notes:

Well, weren't expecting that.

.

On our next date: We try to make something out of nothing. I think, at least.


	33. From the Ashes

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

 

Airu took a deep breath.

This was not what she had in mind when they touched down. Sure, the whole debacle with the digivices was unintentional, but that was the result of a difference in time. This, was not something any of them could predict. 

“Let her go.” she announced as her gaze returned to the plant creature. “If you don’t, you’ll get a hug.”

In retrospect, that probably was not the best way to phrase that. Points for creativity though.

“Was that really supposed to scare me?” their opponent snarled and wiggled a bit closer to them. “Let me guess. You’re going to try and set me on fire.”

Cho shot Airu a look. A chuckle was all she got. 

“It was the best idea I had at the moment, Cho.” Airu whispered and made a quick glance towards her girlfriend. “Do you still got the net?”

“Yep.” Cho answered and held the net up, making a quick glance back. While Airu still had the bear trap attached to her wrist, there were some doubts at how useful it would actually be. They didn’t want to cause Youko any additional pain, but it was probably a good idea to free her from Blossomon. The net could maybe serve as a distraction, but that could just result in it getting reduced to ash. “Sugar, do you think you scan her over?”

Airu gave a nod and pulled her phone back out. Ren and Ryouma did something similar, ready for whatever useful and insightful info to digest. I mean, read. Slip of the tongue.

_ Now scanning… _

_ Loading entry… _

**PyreBlossomon**

**Ultimate, Despair**

**Special Moves: Ash Blossom, Changing Pollen, Flame Whip**

**.**

**Sachiko: I’m sorry. This one’s my fault.**

**Airu: It’s alright. Mistakes happen.**

**Cho: Don't be so hard on yourself. It was through a mistake that I met Sugar.**

**‘Youko’: Airu was a mistake. A mistake that must be fixed.**

_ Scan complete. _

Airu shot her mother a confused glance. While she probably should’ve had her focus on that particular remark, the ‘despair’ label was throwing her for a loop. Which in her defense, was to be expected.

“Care to elaborate?” Cho added, seeming to notice her girlfriend’s confusion.

Despair digimon are those connected with strong emotions, usually brought about through methods that sit quite questionable. We’re not even sure why it’s really a thing and we never really bring it up for that reason.   
“Oh.”

Her gaze focused back on Airu.

“Let me guess.” Airu responded and pulled the bear trap off her arm. “This is about me supposedly dooming the world?”

Ren gave a nod as PyreBlossomon let out a laugh.

“You’ve already doomed it.” ‘Youko’ countered and took a step closer. “I am a product of the choices you and your descendants will make.”

Both Ren and Ryouma shot Airu a confused look. In return, they got a bit of a shrug. To be fair, they all were pretty much on the same page on the whole “Airu’s Crime’.

“Oh right.” Ryouma remarked and carefully made her way down. “Could you maybe elaborate? A little bit of new information would be nice.”

‘Youko' let out a grumble, letting the fact that what could be seen of her feet were now covered in silver metal with the pumps taking on the form of bulky seafoam green metal high heels.

“Fine.” she answered and redirected her attention back to the trio. “I guess some common knowledge wouldn't hurt.”

After letting out a cough and mumbling about something or other, she let her mouth open back up.

“A long time ago, a group of twelve, maybe thirteen people decided that they would create a better future. In order to accomplish this monumental task, they created a system that would allow them to ‘reset' time and space.”

“Okay. How does Sugar tie into all of this?” Cho inquired and got a groan from the plant creature.

“Your ‘girlfriend’ helped bring into the world the woman that started all of this.”

She got confused glances all around.

“Thanks, maybe?” Airu answered as Delia ran over to her. “Do you need something, Delia?”

Delia gave a nod, following it up with a smile.

“Is there any way that I can help you defeat this monster?”

Airu took a deep breath and got down on her knees. That way, she and Delia could stand around the same general height. After, she motioned for Cho and company to come over.

“I’m not entirely certain why you're not choosing a more secure spot, but you be you.” ‘Youko’ announced and watched them go about their whispers and mumblings. “But considering that I can just burn this whole forest down without a second thought…”

She made a quick glance behind her, checking for any signs of something or perhaps, someone.

“I really wish you could change just a little bit faster.”

At the moment, seafoam green metal snaked up Youko’s legs while her face began to take on a porcelain finish. A pair of red lenses served as her ‘eyes’ with her black hair turn gold and became metallic.

“Just hold on a little longer!” Airu shouted as their planning stage ended. “We’ll get you out of there.”

Their attention returned to PyreBlossomon, who had decided now was a good time to maybe tighten its vines around Youko.

“Why thank you, Sachiko.” the digimon announced, not using its captive to speak for once. “You must feel real safe with that doll of your’s. I plan to take that away too.”

Why? It's not my fault you were changed. Sure, I’m a weird consequence of this. You should just go back to that grave of yours.

But PyreBlossomon wasn't in a listening sort of mood. No, she seemed more intent on bringing about destruction as her revenge.

**Ash Blossom!**

Dusty petals shot out from the plant, moving about like makeshift scythes. Thankfully, these didn’t seem to negate actions.

“Not funny.” ‘Youko’ remarked as Cho swung her rake into a part of PyreBlossomon that didn’t contain her as its captive. “I guess someone wants you, Youko. They did try to take your daughter after all.”

Youko’s gaze shifted up.

“What?” she whispered, not at all noticing her thighs getting covered in seafoam green metal. Her chest is next, with silver instead of the usual green. Her upper torso got a pair of yellow cups, possibly to serve as armor for her breasts. The area around it did get the green metal as a pair of matching shoulder pads formed by her head. “I don’t want any of this.”

But PyreBlossomon let out a laugh.

“I didn’t want any of this either.” PyreBlossomon remarked as Yasyamon did battle against her vines. “But that wasn’t my call, was it? If you want someone to blame, I would go with that child of yours.”

Youko froze up, her arms now encased in a mix of seafoam green and silver metal. Four golden batlike wings grew out from her back as new, almost foreign thoughts seemed intent on grabbing hold and forcing her further down in the despairing hole she found herself in.

“Mommy!” Delia shouted and ran head-on towards the opponent. Which required dodging and weaving through the general chaos and mayhem going on around her. “I’ll save you!”

For a few brief seconds, it would seem that Youko couldn’t hear her cries. But, Delia pushed onward. She wasn’t sure what it was was entirely was. Maybe it was courage, pushing onward against what seemed like impossible odds. Or perhaps it was the love, the sort brought about by bonding with someone from birth up until now.

Whatever feeling it possibly was, Delia didn’t really care. At the moment, all that mattered to her was saving Mommy and then maybe everyone else.

“I can do this.” she whispered and found herself mere inches of the large plant. “I’m here, mommy!”

**Nazer Nail!**

Acid shot forth from her hands, making quick work of the vines. It also had the added effect of stunning the opponent.

“I got you mommy!”

Carefully, she pulled what remained of Youko free, making sure that this strange opponent didn’t have a chance at grabbing back hold.

“Delia…” Youko whispered as her lenses focused in on her ‘daughter’. “I’m proud of you…”

Her head still felt funny, but not as bad as it could had been. The thoughts that had been swirling within seemed to disappear, getting replaced with happier one. Thoughts such as how to introduce Delia to her younger daughter and how to get. Better yet, how to tell her husband she’s was now some weird armored angel thing instead of a regular human.

“Where is it?” Youko thought and began searching her body for her digivice, only to unintentionally bring up the holographic equivalent. “Huh. I could get used to this.”

She took a deep breath and made the screen disappear, letting her attention return to PyreBlossomon.

“This ends now.”

Her opponent countered with a laugh.

“Are you certain about that?” PyreBlossomon countered and seemed to laugh even harder. “Sure, you might be some mega/super ultimate on your side, that’s nothing.”   
Her response seemed to surprise her opponents, not as much as Youko’s lenses turning pink.

“What are you talking about?” the hybrid remarked as Airu’s bear trap snapped down on the vine that connected their opponent’s old body to their new one. A loud snap seemed to ring out as the body fell to the ground.

“You idiots.”

PyreBlossomon’s body began to twist all about, reshaping itself into a more humanoid shape. If anything, it looked like a Rosemon. Well, if a Rosemon was set on fire and forced to fight after mostly recovering. The palmon still hung at her side, looking even more dead than before. I almost feel sorry for her, almost. Some things, you need to just let go,

“Since you guys refuse to just give me what I want, let’s do this.”

**Changing Pollen!**

Yellow pollen shot from their opponent’s hands, covering the heads of our three chosen and Cho. Strangely, it had no effect on them for some reason.

“Impossible.” PyreBlossomon whispered as her attention turned to those she had thought had been dispatched. As sad as it is to see her life be brought to an end again, I have no tears for her. “I will make you eat those fucking words, Sachiko.”

We would both would like to see you try.

PyreBlossomon let out a screech and charged forth, letting forth a mix of petals, vines and pollen.

“You ready to do this?” Airu whispered and got a nod from Cho. After getting onto her girlfriend’s back, the pair charged forward. Yasyamon was next in line, his blades just barely missing the ground while her human provided cover fire. That left Ryouma and Astamon to make up what looked to be the rear in the form of just stomping the flower. Unorthodox, but you work with what you got.

“That’s it?” PyreBlossomon taunted as her pursuers made contact. While the bear trap and rake probably felt more like pillows hitting a person, the grenades packed a far different pain. Especially when Yasyamon hit said wounds with those practice swords of his.

“Gerononimo!” Astamon announced as she jumped into the air, somehow not landing on one of her teammates in the process.

Sadly, it still wasn’t enough to put this weed to rest. Thankfully, there was still one more pair to go.

“We got this, mommy!” Delia announced as she and her ‘mother’ charged forth. “Tear that flower thing apart!”

Youko chuckled and focused in on their opponent. Once in front of the stupid plant, she pulled a fist back and let it slam into their face. Finishing this all off, was Delia slashing into the now open wounds.

“Goodbye world…” PyreBlossomon whispered, shattering into digital data. Which is a far better solution than just

_ Hunt complete! _

“We did it, Mommy!” Delia announced and wrapped her up in a hug. “Does that mean I get to meet your other daughter now?”

Youko took a deep breath and concentrated for a couple seconds, reverting back to her human ‘form'.

“Yes.” the chosen answered and let her focus turn to Airu and company. “Thank you for your help.”

“No problem.” Airu answered, watching her teammates and their digimon were engulfed in light and transported away. “Just doing our job.”

Youko let out a chuckle, not at all fazed by the sudden disappearance of most of her saviors.

“I’ll remember that.”

With that, she switched forms and headed off. Delia followed right behind, giving the pair the occasional wave as they grew smaller and smaller.

Afterwards, Airu’s attention turned to her girlfriend. While the day had been saved, something felt… off. While that just could be the feeling of a timeline fixing itself, there had to be more ot it. Right?”

“So now what, Sugar?” Cho inquired, only to do a double take. “Uh… why are you disintegrating?”

Airu’s gaze shot to her body. At the moment, every part of her was shrinking down. Cho’s was doing something similar, so she grabbed hold of the baker as best as she could. Gold light then engulfed the duo as the area around them seemed to shift. Eventually, their vision went black and gravity took hold.


	34. Regressed and Redressed

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Airu's eyes slid open.

Currently, the trapper found herself wrapped up in the blankets of a bed. It felt familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on why that was. Cho casually laid beside her, but she looked smaller than the trapper remembered.

"Cho?" Airu whispered and watched her partner slowly turn and face her. She looked more like a young girl than the young adult she had grown used to seeing.

"Yes, Sugar?" Cho whispered and looked Airu over. "Uh, why are you a child now?"

Airu looked down at herself, finding a light pink nightgown on her body. Like Cho, she appeared to be a young girl as well.

After, the trapper let her gaze return to her partner. At the moment, she was dressed in a similar outfit to her. The only real difference was it being purple rather than pink. At the very least, they looked to be around the same age.

"I guess we went back in time." Airu whispered and the bedroom door opened up.

"Are you up, Airu and Cho?" a voice called out and Youko poked her head in. "Good. Can I trust you two to get dressed?"

She got a pair of nods.

"Delia will be joining our family today." the ophanimon explained and watched her daughter and her partner get out of bed. "While you don't have to wear either of your battle outfits, I think a dress will look nice for you both."

"Understood." Airu answered and watched Youko close the door. After, she and Cho turned their attention to the closet. For some reason, the outfits from their first hunt still hung there. Even if they were a bit too big for them at the moment. Beside it, were a pair of outfits resembling the one worn by an Angewomon.

"Huh." Cho whispered and felt the top. "These are high-quality outfits."

Airu copied her girlfriend, giving it a slight rub.

"Even your armor is here." she whispered and pointed to a pair of armor stands. The one on the right had Cho's regular armor, with the one on the left containing a purple copy with a cat face in place of the pig's. Of course, a bunch of similar dresses hung above it with a few uniforms thrown in for good measure. Cho picked one out in particular and held it out.

"Lady Darcmon's." Cho whispered and watch Airu's attention focus in on it. "Could you try this on, Sugar?"

"Sure." Airu answered and took off her nightgown, letting her attention focus on the garment. The top was a bluish violet color with long sleeves and a pinkish purple ribbon around the neck. The included skirt was a similar story, with the color getting the plaid treatment. "Could you check the tag?"

Cho gave a nod, carefully picking up the back half of Airu's top.

"It says that this one belongs to you." Cho whispered and got a look from her girlfriend. "Fine. Let me find the one that belongs to me."

She turned around, looking over the remaining uniforms and pulled one out. Like Airu, she pulled her current outfit off and switched into her uniform. Once that was done, she let her attention focus on her girlfriend.

"I really hope we get to keep the high school versions when the time comes, Sugar~" Cho flirted and leaned in to give Airu a kiss. But the trapper grabbed hold and pulled Cho in.

"I guess, Cho." she answered back as the door swung open.

"Girls?" Youko called out, only to notice the show on full display. "I get that you two are supposedly from the future or something, but could you keep it down?"

In response to that, the two girls began to make moans that aired quite on the questionable side of things. We didn't need that. At all.

"A tiny bit, please?"

Cho and Airu stopped, letting their attention turn back to Youko.

"Feel free to try on the other outfits." the mother continued and turned around. "But when you're ready for breakfast, put on one of your dresses."

Both girls nodded.

"Understood, mom." Airu answered and Youko closed the door. Their gazes returned to the closet, trying to decide on what to wear next. "The angewomon garb?"

"Sure." Cho answered as she helped Airu out of her uniform. Afterwards, it was Airu's turn to return the favor.

"Hold still." she remarked and got a sigh from her girlfriend. "Do you not want out of this outfit?"

"No."

Airu let out a chuckle and hung the uniforms back on their hangars. She then switched them out, pulling the angewomon costumes out in return.

Compared to the uniforms that had just adorned their bodies, these weren't quite the things you would to see a pair of children wearing.

"Hmm..." Cho added, holding the costume up to Airu's body. "This one's mine."

She set that one down, handing over the other one to her girlfriend.

"Huh."

Carefully, the trapper unzipped the back and slipped her left leg in. After, she snapped the right heel off and slipped her foot in. Next came the torso, which did require assistance from Cho.

"How do they even wear this?" the baker remarked and watched Airu fit the provided breast guard to her undeveloped chest. This was then followed by the single glove, which I never did get. "Context?"

I have some experience, angelic digimon-wise. Those weren't the greatest days. Even without the stupid chosen.

"Oh."

Carefully, Airu applied the ribbon and wings with a bit more assistance from Cho. This was then followed up with the belts, which I guess had a purpose somehow. The outfit was all finished up with the helmet, which seemed designed to restrict the wearer's vision to the utmost degree. Thankfully, Airu's did allow for actual proper vision. It would suck otherwise if it didn't.

"Would you like a hug from an angel?" she joked and wrapped her arms around Cho. "Your turn."

Cho let out a giggle and got to work. Her process was similar to Airu's, taking each part slowly and carefully. And asking for help, of course.

"There you go." Airu remarked as she helped Cho with the wings and ribbon. "Here's the helmet."

Cho gave a nod and carefully fitted it on, eventually finding Airu within in the similarly colored room.

"I raise your hug with…" she whispered and let their lips meet, right as the flash of a camera flooded their vision.

"Mom!" Airu shouted and got a nervous laugh in return. They turned around, finding Youko in her human form holding a camera.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." the mother whispered and switched forms. After, she made her way over and wrapped her arms around both her daughter and her girlfriend. "Though that does give me an idea for later."

Both Airu and Cho gulped.

"I signed you both up for some extracurricular activities." Youko continued and cracked the closest thing she could to a smile. "I think you'll enjoy them along with your usual stuff."

After saying that, she handed over Airu's bear trap. It looked smaller now, but that could be the result of whatever that Polly and Fate did to it post their first hunt.

"Thank you." Airu answered and set it down on the bed. "Do you think you could help us out of these?"

Youko gave a nod and made her way over

"Of course." she answered, switching forms as she reached the pair. "I'm impressed you managed to get both outfits on. I expected you two to steer more towards the armor."

Both Airu and Cho let out a giggle.

"That was what we were going to try on next." Airu answered as Youko unzipped the back. "Then it would be the dresses."

She got a nod as her focus turned to her girlfriend. Once Cho was out, they hung the outfits back up and made their way to the armor stands.

"I'm guessing that the pink one is mine?" Cho asked as she picked up that particular set. "Yep."

Carefully, she slipped the swimsuit on and began searching for the attachment point.

"Sugar, could you hand me the ropes?"

Airu complied, grabbing the weird-looking set of ropes that were hanging onto the now empty armor stand.

"Here you go." she whispered, giving the ropes to Cho. What followed, was a mix of attaching the proper bindings and making sure that everything had been tied properly. Next came the legs, which slotted in quite nicely as they were attached via the ropes. The gauntlets came next with the left arm getting a pair of belts. "Helmet now?"

Cho gave a nod and Airu handed her the helmet. The baker carefully pulled it down and shifted it into place, letting her girlfriend tied the last of the ropes in place and handed her a mini version of her rocket rake.

Of course, one question still remained. Was Cho here a digimon or had the regression changed her to some extent?

Roast of the Pig!

Even though she shouted the attack, nothing came from it. The baker gave it an attempt or two, getting the same result.

In return, Airu gave her a slight pat.

"Hey. It's alright." she whispered and watched her girlfriend perk up.

"Sugar, should come join me like this." Cho announced and watched her girlfriend's cheek glow a bright shade of red. While she had never said she wanted to wear her girlfriend's armor, there was something interesting about the set that sat on the stand.

"Okay." Airu answered, her focus turning to the adjacent armor stand. Carefully, she removed the armor and set it down on the bed. The swimsuit came first, followed by the ropes.

"Leggings please." Airu asked and was handed a set of bulky purple legs. They had a feline style to them. Cho helped attached the ropes, handing her the gauntlets. Those got slipped on, with the helmet getting handed over next.

"Here goes nothing." Airu whispered and slowly lowered it down. "Cho, could you help me straighten this out?"

Cho gave a nod, carefully shifting it into a position that Airu could see out of.

"That good?"

Airu nodded, getting handed over a long rod with a gatomon paw at the end of it.

"It's not quite a rocket rake, but I think it fits you." Youko remarked and held her camera up. "One picture please? Maybe make it an action scene?"

Both girls gave a nod and struck a pose, crossing their weapons as if they were in combat. Yet, their gazes seemed to be more focused on each other and the possibility of a kiss. But, the flash of Youko's camera put an end to that.

"Girls who want breakfast should possibly should get into their nicest dresses." Youko explained and made her exit. At this point, it would surprise me that she's using her wings instead of the stairs. Which took me far longer to realize how to do. I still do that by accident.

Offscreen, Sachiko shot her wife a glance.

"That's nice." Airu remarked, giving the armor one more glance. "Cho, what do you think of the armor on me?"

Cho's attention turned to her girlfriend, taking her in. While she couldn't put the why, something about it seemed right. Heck, it would probably be even better if the armor itself was some sort of skin for the trapper. But that would mean stuff like robotics in order to facilitate that. It also needed to be pink. Then it would be perfect.

"You should wear it more often." she finally answered, pushing her thoughts to the back. Maybe, she'll get to make it a reality.

.

For Ren and Ryouma however, things weren't going as quite as well.

Sure, they were back in the proper year, but the Suzaki's house was currently surrounded in a large crystal thing. Which was on top of the weird plague doctor that were loitering least the party in the castle had finally wrapped. Which I guess is a plus?

"Hi?" Ren greeted, making sure to curtsy. That got him a near miss with the halberd. "Wonderful. Could you at least tell us why you're here?"

But the plague doctors do not answer. Instead, their attention turns to the crystal.

* * *

Notes:

Yep. We've definitely gone off script. Hunter's script, to be exact. Considering how Hunter's script goes, it's kind of sad something like this doesn't happen.

Sorry about the missed upload days. I've been very busy.

.

On our next date: Let's play with Jestery!


	35. Playtime

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Surprisingly, it would seem that Airu had taken her girlfriend's remark quite seriously. Which made it all the harder when she had to take it off to put a dress on in its place.

"Which one do you think will work better, Sugar?" Cho remarked and held up a pair of dresses. The dress on the left was on the more 'party' vibe, consisting of a blue sundress style with an exposed leg. The right one the other hand, was a purple apron dress style and had Airu's full attention at the moment.

"I guess it's pretty clear." the trapper whispered and pointed towards the right one, watching Cho slip it on.

After, the baker's attention turned to her girlfriend. At the moment, Airu had gone with a pink wrap dress. Which by six year old standards, looked quite stunning.

"Ready to go, Sugar?~" Cho inquired, getting a nod in return.

"Yep." Airu answered and made a quick glance to the shelves, possibly to make sure that her currently reduced cure doll count was still intact. Once she was certain that the small handful were in their proper place (somehow), she joined her girlfriend outside their room.

All that was left to do was go down the stairs and meet their mother downstairs. Of course, these two managed to find some way to mess that up. And by that, I mean Cho giving Airu a piggyback ride around that general area. It went as well as you think it would in their current situation. Thankfully, no one was injured.

Downstairs, the house looked the same as it usually had. Heck, even the Amazoneko mask was still there. Which makes no sense, but you know.

"Oh. The mask." Youko remarked and switched to her human form, mostly to avoid banging into the surprisingly low hanging lights. "It's from a mission that gave us our names."

Both Airu and Cho shot her a glance.

"Basically, we did some work for some company, who helped us defeat the big threat."

What was this company then?

"Shove a dragon up your ass." Youko muttered and confused our narrators. Whatever that was in reference too, seemed to fly over the girl's heads as well.

"Got it." Airu remarked, sitting herself down. Cho did the same, with both getting greeted with a plate of pancakes. "Thank you, mom!"

"Thank you." the baker added as they dug in. "These are really good!"

Youko cracked a smile, gazing over her daughter and their partner. It felt odd to see them both there. Sure, Airu was already going to be at home to begin. But there was something about Cho now that felt familiar. Like she had seen her before. Try as she might, the the reason why seemed fuzzy. Right now, it was a question that could wait answering.

"I can teach you how to make them, if you want." she explained and watched Cho perk up. "I'll take that as a yes then."

With breakfast out of the way, the two girls went off to play. In this case, coloring pictures out of a precure coloring book. Even though such books wouldn't even exist yet. I doubt such things would really stop the girls.

"Oh! This one has Blossom and Marine holding hands." Airu announced and began shading the two cures in. "What about yours, Cho?"

Cho made a glance down at the coloring book. Unlike Airu's, she had gotten a scene of a girl with purple hair sitting under a tree while getting observed by another girl in leather. Or would that be latex, perhaps?

"Sugar, could you tell me who these girls are?" Cho inquired and watched her girlfriend scoot over.

"That's Yuri," Airu started, pointing towards the first girl. "She got her powers taken away by this girl."

She tapped her pencil on the other girl.

"And that's Dark Precure." the trapper continued and colored her in the girl's eyes. "She's uh… Yuri's 'sis' kinda."

She got a confused glance as the baker tried to understand what was even going on here.

"So weird family relationship?"

A nod.

"Pretty much."

Both girls took a deep breath and returned to their coloring. Which went far better than what one would expect out of six years old. You probably expect it more out of someone far older or perhaps even a paid artist.

Carefully, the duo turned the page, only to find similar pictures as before. You would think that these color booking designers would have a bit more imagination and stuff. Oh wait. Probably can't go there. Especially since you're both six years old at the moment and you know, not eighteen.

"What are you even talking about?" Airu remarked and got something whispered to her by Cho. "Oh. As nice as that may sound, I'll have to pass."

Uh… good? Maybe?

With that now out of the way, the two continued their coloring for a little bit longer. They probably would have gone on all day, if not for Youko calling out for them.

"Want to bake something?" Airu's mom announced and watched the pair get up

"Yeah!"

After saying that, it was back to kitchen. But not before picking up their supplies and putting the it back into the respective spots. You don't want anyone to trip in the middle of the night.

Then it was a matter of finding the proper apron - purple for Cho and pink for Airu. Once those two things had finally been achieved, they were ready to bask in the wonder that was chocolate chip cookies.

"These ones have butterscotch and are chocolate."

Cho's eyes grew at least a couple centimeters, which seemed to catch Airu by surprise.

"One of us has to have some sort of housewive quality to us." the baker whispered and nuzzled her girlfriend. "Better me than you~"

Airu let out a giggle and closed her eyes for a brief second. While her partner wouldn't be a half-bad housewife, there were far more enjoyable pursuits that would suit the baker far better.

"I guess I'll have to get you a ring then." she joked, realizing what she said right after. While sure, it was unlikely that they could actually get married. It was wishful thinking.

She probably should have explained that to Cho.

"Really?" the baker whispered and watched Airu's attention lock on.

"Of course."

Her lover's face turned a bright shade of red, which provided the perfect opportunity to share a kiss. And take it Airu did. If she was lucky, that would be the end of that for the moment. Like Youko's faulty memory, it was something to solve later.

Right now, it would seem her mother had found them in the act. Again.

"Oh my." Youko remarked as she took the show in. "Are they always like this?"

You realize that you're her mother and all? Shouldn't you know about these sorts of things, since it is your job and all?

Youko let out a deep breath.  
"Yes, but technically she's replacing the Airu I had initially." the mother whispered and watched the two children break away, with Cho taking the lead on the baking stuff. "Sure that sucks and all, I suspect it's for the better."

I guess? We're still new to this whole 'being narrators' thing.

"You're doing a pretty good job if you ask me."

Offscreen, both narrator's cheeks were glowing a quite cute shade of red. Not that they would admit it.

"Girls, do you need some help?" Youko inquired and watched both Airu and Cho shake their heads. "At the very least, a chair to maybe stand on?"  
It was still a no from both girls. Not that one could really blame them. This was their shining moment to show this woman what they could do in the culinary world.

"I wouldn't go that far." Cho remarked as she cracked some eggs and put them in a bowl. Airu then put in a whole bunch of cocoa powder, followed by the chocolate and butterscotch chips. She didn't even check if that was the next step or if that was even the proper amount. "I stand corrected, Sugar."

The baker shot her girlfriend a quick glance, letting a sigh out afterwards. While she didn't want to send Airu out, it might be essential if they wanted to have anything on the side of edible.

"It's alright." Airu remarked and got down, taking a deep breath in the process. "We spent quite a bit together, an hour or two apart could do us some good."

Cho gave a nod, which was right as Jestery made her appearance. She was dressed in her usual outfit, but had taken the effort to make herself at least look like she's around Airu and Cho's age. Which I guess was nice of her.

"Is Jestery interrupting anything important?"

Airu shook her head.

"Not really." the trapper explained and motioned for the jester to follow. "We're just taking a bit of time away from each other in order to keep our relationship strong."

"Oh." Jestery answered, letting a smile form on her face. "I'm doing the same… kinda."

The two made their way back to the living room. There, Airu grabbed her coloring book and colored pencils.

"Jestery is sorry if Cho gets jealous." Jestery continued and watched the trapper get to work. "Jestery needed a slight change of pace."

Cho let out a chuckle.

"It's alright." Cho answered and turned to face Jestery. "I'll join you two in a minute."

Both girls gave a nod. After, Airu returned to her coloring book.

"Nothing that you want to ask Jestery?" the jester remarked and got a shake of Airu's head in return. "Really? Airu don't even want to know why Jestery showed up as a bush?"

Still no.

"If I had to guess, I am integral to whatever plans you may have."

She had expected some sort of reaction from the jester, possibly even a change of facial expression. But Jestery did not seem to give it to her. No, it would seem the jester was trying even harder to keep a straight face.

"Jestery guess that was to be expected of someone who's primary way of fighting is through nets and bear traps."

Her remark got her a chuckle from both Youko and Cho.

"Uh thanks?" Airu whispered, shooting a glance towards the kitchen. Cho had just loaded the cookies into the oven and was now making her way over. So she watched her come over. "Basically, I'm part of some plan she has."

"Oh." Cho answered and looked Jestery over. "I'm not entirely sure if that's a good or bad thing, Sugar."

She got a shrug from Airu.

"Pretty much." Airu continued as their gazes focused back on Jestery. "Can I ask you a question, Jestery?"

"Of course, Airu!" the jester answered and let herself become big again. "What did you want to ask me?"

The trapper took a deep breath and gave Cho a glance. For better or worse, this question needed to be asked.

"Why do so many people want me dead?"

For a few brief moments, silence seemed to be our heroines only answer.

"It's not for what you did, but what you could do."

Both Airu and Cho's gazes focused in on the jester. While the logic of that statement seemed sound, it still felt surreal and almost unbelievable.

"What did I do then?" Airu whispered as Cho put a hand on her back.

"You got married and had a child." Jestery continued as her eyes became watery. "That child would become a bitter and evil woman, hellbent on claiming this world."

And that's without getting into the mess as a whole.

Jestery's looked away, acting very unlike herself. Or maybe not. We're not experts on her behavior.

"We had to put her out of her misery."

But instead of getting a reaction of say something like I don't know - crying, just more confused looks. Inside, Airu wasn't sure what to think.

"And you're just certain about this?" Cho inquired, finally making her presence properly known after all this time. "Sure, there's a chance our relationship might not work. But, you can just throw it out without giving it a real chance."

While the baker's words gave Airu some hope, it did little in the way of assuring.

"Sorry, Jestery." Airu remarked. "I appreciate you telling me why. I'll make my own path then."

As confident as she tried to sound, she wasn't quite sure what the answer was here. Winging it would work for the moment, if she had something to go by. Maybe

"The future is kind of funny. One moment, a path might seem certain. The next, you might be wandering aimlessly." Jestery explained and closed her eyes, letting a smile form on her face. "But as long as you have a destination in mind, you'll never be lost."

And with that, she was gone. Not her strongest line she's left for us, but not the worst. Especially after attempting to traumatize you two.

"Huh." Airu answered and turned to face her girlfriend. "I guess we know what we need to do."

"Of course, Sugar." Cho answered as the doorbell rang.

.

Back with the rest of our 'hunters', some headway had been made.

And by that, we mean proper communications had been made between both parties.

"Is there anything that we can help you with?" Astamon inquired as Ryouma and Ren approached.

"No." one of the plague doctors - a woman remarks. At the moment, they seemed to be hard at work using valuable resources to send what looked to be a pug in a plague doctor costume of all things to somewhere. "We are about to do the ritual."

With that, they began to chant as red light poured in. They didn't seem to care that they had an audience of sorts.

* * *

Notes:

Yes, Heartcatch Precure isn't supposed to exist. It's probably some weird result of the Dark Emporium or something.

.

On our next date: Airu's Dream and Delia's Arrival


	36. Hey There, Delia

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

What followed, was a rush to see who would be the one to get the door.

At first, it would seem that Youko would be the victor in this competition. You know, with those wings of hers on top of longer legs. But it would seem that she had decided to let her daughter and their lover take the lead and decide it for her.

Athletically, Cho had the advantage. Whereas Airu sat a bit on the trickier side. Though put that way, it made this a bit of brains vs brawns competition when it was just a friendly race between lovers. Even though they only looked like children right now rather than teenagers on the verge of adulthood.

"I got it!" they both announced with Youko letting out a deep breath. "Draw?"

Airu and Cho gave each other a congratulatory nod and pulled the door open. Outside, Delia awaited.

"Mommy!" Delia announced and rushed in, running her sister and their partner over in the process. "Oh sorry!"

Carefully, the duo pulled themselves off the floor and took Delia in. In the day since they had last saw her, her outfit hadn't really changed that much. The only real difference was a white wide-brimmed beach hat. Her dress looked the same as before, just slightly cleaner.

"What do you think of your new home?" Youko asked and watched her daughter perk up.

"I love it!" Delia answered and let her attention focus on Airu and Cho. Though, it was kind of hard of tell "Which one of you is Mommy's daughter?"

"I am." Airu explained and pointed towards her girlfriend. "I'm Airu and this is hopefully my future wife, Cho."

Her remark somehow was not the one that the child was expecting. Even though Airu had made reference to it just in the day before.

"Future wife?" Delia inquired and tried to wrap her head around that. "What if someone comes along and takes one of you away?"

"Uh…" Airu started, only for Cho to put a hand on her back.

"I would hunt down whoever took my beloved away." Cho shouted, pulling out her rake in the process. "It doesn't matter how far that I have to go."

Airu shifted her gaze towards the floor. This was the one question that she never really put that much thought into it. But after her talk with Jestery, it just seemed to make it even worse. What if someone or some digimon appeared and just took Cho away? What if her traps weren't powerful even with both Candlemon or Parasimon in her possession? What if someone came after them? Could she really protect Cho? What if she coul-

Carefully, Cho let her hand slam into Airu's face as nicely as possible. It still hurt a whole bunch from the looks of things.

"This is about protecting me and our teammates, isn't it?" she whispered and got a nod in return. "Hmm… I think Lady Darcmon's has classes for those who wish to become angewomon, Sugar."

Airu perked up slightly.

"You think they would let me join?" Airu whispered back and let her thoughts take her in. She imagined herself in their garb, shooting off arrows at any foe that came her way. In many ways, she could be just like Cure Heart or any of the other heroines in the magical girl shows she liked. You know, like Cardcaptor Sakura and that weird one where they turn into children in weird-looking animal costumes. What was its name? Oh right. Anyamaru Tantei Kiruminzuu.

"I remember that show!" Delia announced and reopened the door, finding a box of what I guess were her possessions from the digital world. Carefully, she pulled it inside and closed the door again. "I don't think I really got that far, but of what I did see I remember is was quite weird."

Yeah, I remember my creator showing it to me once. I wasn't quite sure what was going on. Especially that theme song.

Even with the interruption, Airu's daydream remained uninterrupted. If anything, it probably began to dig deeper into her head. She imagined herself in the garb of an angewomon, letting that escalate into her customizing the form as a personal digimon. But considering what age she is at the moment, that was alright. But at the same time, she could make out something else - a girl that looked just like her. But then they turned into a strange pink catgirl of all things. At first, she thought they were some sort of weird digimon. On closer inspection, the transformation seemed to be something hologram-based. Kind of like a magical girl transformation.

A slight tap brought her back to reality.

"Sorry about that." Airu remarked and turned her attention to both Delia and Cho. "It's a possibility, not something certain yet."

Delia placed a hand on Airu's shoulder.

"Don't be so hard on yourself." the mega explained and cracked a smile. "Anything is possible as long as you believe in it. Or something like that."

Airu let a smile form on her face, following it up with a giggle.

"Thanks."

Almost on cue, Youko walked up in her weird Ophanimon form. We really need a name for it. Do you guys think you could scan her?

"I guess?" Cho remarked and turned her attention to Airu, who gave a nod in return. It took a bit of digging, but she did eventually bring her digivice back up.

_Now scanning…_

_Loading Entry…_

**RedeemedOphanimon**

**Mega, Despair**

**Special Moves: Dancing Crystal, Angelic Scythe**

**.**

**Youko: So that's what I'm called now.**

**Delia: Wait. Mommy got a name change?**

**Chaos: No. Since she's a digimon now 'technically', you still get to call her mommy.**

**Delia: Yay!**

_Scan complete._

"Can I ask a favor of the three of you?" Youko inquired and watched the children focus in on her. "I would like to have a battle. Three on one, if that's fine with you guys."

At first, all she seemed to get was three confused stares. This was then followed by two of the three making their way upstairs to get something. That just left Delia, who was humming a song to herself. I wonder if it's… Hey there, Delia?

Offscreen, Chaos got a glance from her wife for that bad pun. This was then followed by a slap. Nothing really hard, just enough to not make one use awful puns for a bit.

"That was awful." Delia remarked and let her attention turn to Youko. "I'm ready to take you on, Mommy!"

She then did her best action pose. While not the greatest one either of us have seen, it was a pretty good attempt.

"Wonderful." Youko answered and took a deep breath. "At the very least, let's wait for our Airu and Cho to come back down."

Delia gave a nod.

.

Upstairs, our main couple was currently changing.

For Cho, it was a case of just looking her armor over then switching out her outfit for something lighter and easier to move in. But for Airu, it was an entirely different process entirely.

For starters, she had chosen to keep her dress on at the moment and just eye the angewomon outfit. Yet, her heart yearned for something else.

"Something wrong?" her girlfriend inquired and watched Airu's gaze shift to her.

"I just can't decide if I want to be angewomon or not." the trapper explained and watched Cho walk over. A careful hug followed.

"You don't have to be angewomon, Sugar. Just give yourself your own personal digimon name then." she suggested and watched the the trapper perk up. "It'll be our little secret."

"Hmm... " Airu thought and took a deep breath. She let her eyes close once more, focusing in on the task at hand. "Regiamon."

She let her eyes close and her daydreams take her in. At the moment, she was dressed in her usual outfit, just around around the same height before getting de-aged. Her bear trap gauntlet hung tight to her arm, feeling slightly lighter than before. Dandelion blonde hair hung down to the middle of her waist, while her blue eyes stared out into the endless void her imagination had created. But at the same time, it didn't feel right for her. It was as if this had made sense at one time, but something else had taken the place of it.

So the trapper dug deeper into her daydream.

That gave way to the armor from before, in much clearer detail now. Her face was no longer a face by humanoid standards, but instead a curved screen with what looked to be LED's to display the emotions. What looked to be a cross between a cat paw variant of her hands. Though, they did look a tiny bit oversized. Not cartoonish, but 'cute' oversized.

"I'm guessing you have a better picture of what you want to be, Sugar?" Cho inquired, breaking Airu from her daydream. Not that she looked to have minded it.

"Yeah." the trapper answered and pulled the baker in for a hug. Cho accepted it. "Thanks for that."

The baker blushed a bright shade of pink.

"Of course, Sugar."

With that, handed Cho the net. Carefully, the baker shaped it into a scarf so that it could be worn switched back into her regular clothes. Which still fit her somehow. But that's beyond the point.

Carefully, she made her way to the door and shot Airu a glance While there was a chance whatever her girlfriend had in mind would fail, so what? They would find a way, no matter what happened.

"You got a plan?"

Airu gave a nod and slipped on her usual pair of boots. She took a deep breath, letting her attention return to her girlfriend.

"Kind of."

Then it was out the door.

* * *

Notes:

This chapter had probably one of the biggest changes to it. You probably spotted what it was though. So I won't say. ;)

.

On our next date: Let's battle!


	37. Chapter 37

I don't own digimon.

* * *

Date 37

Show your Strength

It didn't take the pair too long to get downstairs.

If anything, it probably should have taken them slightly longer. Especially since Cho jumped over the banister and carried Airu bridal-style. The landing could use a bit of work, especially since they created a large hole in the floor. At least they weren't hurt. Which I guess is a pl-

Before that sentence could even be properly finished, Youko made her way over.

"Cho, could you not do that again?" Youko inquired, her gaze more focused on the hole itself rather than the pair stuck in said hole. "Or at the very least, figure out a way to do this without creating a hole?"

Cho gave a nod and carefully lifted her girlfriend up,handing her over to the girl's mother. Then it was her turn to get out of this hole. Which mostly consisted of the baker being pulled out after it turned out that she had managed to get herself wedged in there.

After pushing away the rubble that Cho had created, the trio rejoined Delia and followed Youko into the backyard. There, a shed awaited on an open yard. What looked like a swingset sat off in the corner with a bit of a garden to boot. It looked kind of peaceful and serene. Which kind made it stick out in the face of all the other places in the Digitalverse.

Of course, that doesn't explain why there was what looked to be a pug casually running around with what looked to be a sharp metal ring in his mouth.

"Hi doggy!" Delia announced, only to get a growl in return. "I was just trying to say hi…"

The dog then stopped, repositioned themself and pulled their head slightly to the left. Only to fling the ring out towards Delia.

**Nazer Nail!**

Carefully, the Lilithmon grabbed hold of the projectile and let her acidic nails do the work. Effective as it may have been, it forced Delia's attention to be solely on melting it down. Giving our pug a perfect opportunity to make their counter attack. Or just grab onto a leg. That works too, we guess.

"Arf!" the dog announced, attempting as best he could to grab hold of the slowly disintegrating weapon.

"Uh, can I help you in any way?" Airu whispered and watched the dog turn to her.

"Ruff arf!"

I think he said no. Or was that yes? We're not entirely certain on that front.

"Okay…" the trapper whispered, only for a pair of figures to appear. "And who might you two be?"

Before the pair had a chance to give an answer, the dog broke away from Delia and headed for Youko. Who they probably thought she was a large statue. But try as they might, the dog could never quite reach her. Which in turn, pissed the dog off.

"I'm guessing we're taking on a dog now?" Cho inquired.

Airu gave a nod, letting her focus turn to Hailey's two companions. At first glance, they looked to be some sort of wolf and cat duo.

But on closer inspection, they looked... off. The wolf looked sort of like your standard gabumon anthro, except it had gone with a blood red color for the fur. Purple stripes had been marked out on the canine's skin, with a pair of long manicured claws at the end of it appendages. Strangely, it had no sign of a unicorn horn and was dressed in a modified white nun habit.

The cat on the other hand, had gone with a trenchcoat and pants combo. Of what fur it did show off, had a silvery white sheen to it.

"GamblerNekomon and NunGabumon at your service." the cat greeted and gave a bow. "We apologize in advance for anything Hailey might do."

Youko shot the catgirl a confused glance.

"Thanks?" she remarked and took a deep breath. While by no means how she planned to do this, it would suffice. "Though, would you mind acting as our opponents?"

Both of Hailey's partners shot their master a quick glance, getting a bark in return.

"She says yes." GamblerNekomon explained and pulled her pistols out. "Just remember that you are facing down a Grand Demon Lord and it's servants!"

The four girls turned their attention towards the cat. While it was natural to be confused by this sudden announcement, it's a bit overstated. This isn't some huge, 'earth-shattering' revelation. No, this is more of a 'Oh cool' sort of thing.

"I beg your pardon?" GamblerNekomon snarled and glared up towards the sky. "My master and her friends are toting around seven most powerful digimon to ever possibly exist. How dare you mock us!"  
Offscreen, both narrators rolled their eyes. While used to this sort of this mess, it didn't make it any easier. Especially when they had people like this mixed in.

Though, we doubt you guys have the seven 'strongest' . If you did, why isn't Jestery or me part of it? How about that?

"Ruff arf bark ruff." Hailey added and gave her feline partner a slight growl. "Ruff."

Cheater! That isn't a satisfactory answer!

"Fine then." GamblerNekomon whispered and shifted her gaze back to their opponents. "Are you guys ready?"

She got a nod in return. Though, I suspect they would have still gone anyway had Airu and co. had shaken their heads.

Currently, it would seem that Hailey had gone for more of an evasive approach, weaving about the yard and flinging what looked like a new version of her disc thing about. While it looked like the dog had some control over it, I'm not certain where they managed to acquire one.

"Cho, Delia, can you cover me?" Airu whispered and got what looked to be nods from her girlfriend and older sister.

**Holy Temptation!**

NunGabumon stared very intently towards their incoming opponent, trying to do something or other. But whatever it was, Cho chose to duck. Which had the side effect of leaving the sole target as Youko and the net scarf thing falling off. And while it would seem that the mega would be immune and stuff

"For the moment, you will join our side." NunGabumon whispered and watched Youko's 'eyes' somehow become even more glazed than usual. "Success!"  
GamblerNekomon gave her partner in crime a thumbs-up and focused in on Delia. Currently, the young mega was trying to make some sense of what was going on than actually fighting.

**Holy Scythe!**

'Youko' pulled her scythe back, more than ready to swing it down on her daughter as Airu watched on. Both Jestery and Delia's words seemed ready to ring through her head. For the record, this is an awful time to just zone out. If the build-up for this attack wasn't as long as it currently was, we would be in a far worse situation.

So the trapper took a deep breath and remembered her chat upstairs.

"I am Regiamon." she thought and turned her attention to everything unfolding around her. Currently, Cho was taking on GamblerNekomon with her rocket rake. The two seemed to be going quite at it, with the baker's hammer blows seeming to match her opponent's sharpshooting. NunGabumon was struggling at this point.

"Break out of it, mom!" the trapper announced and grabbed the net scarf that had fallen off Cho. After dodging what looked to be around of gunshots from GamblerNekomon, she found herself within range to throw it over to someone.

"Grab hold, Delia."

Delia gave a slight nod and watched Airu throw the other end over.

"Now what?" the lilithmon whispered, watching Airu's gaze focus on her girlfriend at the moment. "I'm guessing you have a plan"

Airu gave a nod.  
"Cho, could you get my mom's attention?"

Cho cracked a smile and gave some sort of hand motion. In return, Airu gave another nod.

"Of course, Sugar." the baker answered and let out a whistle, while it did bring the attention of Hailey, it also got Youko right on them. Which won't hopefully work out against them. Especially since Cho was leading all three of them towards Airu and Delia.

"Now!" Airu announced and pulled on her end of the net, getting her younger sister to do something similar. Just barely, Cho was able to sail on over. But their opponents weren't quite as lucky. When they got to the net, they either misjudged their timing or in the case of Youko, got tripped.

"You may have bested us, but this will not be the last time you'll see us!" GamblerNekomon announced and turned her attention to Airu. "Also, Hugtto Precure sucks!"  
"Arf!"

And with that, the trio made their exit. But not before get one moment of hailey trying to grapple the nun wolf thing.

"Okay…" Delia remarked, turning her attention to Airu and Cho. "Good job!"

Airu cracked a smile, only to collapse to the floor. Cho fell right after as the dark seemed to engulf them...

* * *

Notes:

Oops. A little late.

.

On our next Date: Let's remember things we thought we knew..


	38. A trip down Memory Lane pt 1

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

When their vision returned, Airu and Cho found themselves in a place that didn't look like anything they had seen before. Photographs of events that had occured swirled around them, leaving a path of undeveloped polaroids to follow. Beautiful constellation-like patterns hung up in the sky and a swan boat nudged up against the platform

"Huh." the trapper remarked and carefully grabbed hold of Cho's hand, squeezing it tight. "We're either dead, or this is somehow our ticket home."

"Could be both, " Cho remarked as she tightened her grip to match her girlfriend's. "Good work on that plan of yours, Sugar~"

Airu's face turned pink.

"We're just like some married couple." she countered and took a step towards the paddle boat. All that seemed to get her was some chuckling from her girlfriend.

"We technically been together long enough to maybe count as one." Cho whispered and gave her girlfriend a kiss before they headed off. Carefully, they got up into the swan boat. "So we just need to paddle?"

Airu gave a nod.

With that now figured out, the pair paddled forward and found their vision flooded with light. In its place, is the porch of the Suzaki's house. Of course, the castle just also across from them is being rendered or something.

"Say cheese!"

A camera flash follows.

Currently, our heroines find themselves standing in their Lady Darcmon uniforms with those fancy-looking japanese backpacks. in front of their porch. I guess they have a way of getting their students from this world to theirs? While that mess with Tri and stuff is still recent, I guess there were digimon on this side as well.

Delia was there as well, but was currently off to the side. Mostly because she had currently refused to put her uniform on and would rather cling to mommy on the grounds of 'I would learn more from mommy. Which was not the response that the seven foot tall armored titan capable of bringing death to entire worlds wanted to hear in that moment. Especially when they were trying to climb up and give you a kiss in the hopes that it would somehow make it right.

"Please, mommy?" Delia remarked, only for her mother to switch to her human form and put her down. "But you have the outfit and everything~"

Youko's gaze shifted to the floor, trying to hide her now pink face.

"That's was uh… different." she countered, doing her best to slip her oldest daughter's uniform back on. "Nor am I talented enough to be teaching you."

Delia let out a moan, reluctantly joining our heroines. While they hadn't really said anything in this moment, the urge to just kiss was getting quite hard to resist. Even if it would make them come across as really creepy. Especially in a school.

"Say cheese!"

This time, the flash was similar to the one that brought them there. This time, it brought the pair back to their paddle boat.

"I guess that was right after our bout." Airu whispered and turned to face Cho. "We looked quite cute."

Cho let a smile hang on her face, blushing pink at the moment.

"Yeah." she answered as they resumed paddling, taking in the occasional photo of various class activities. The only real things of note were what they were doing - playing on the playground, sneaking in a kiss or two while alone. Stuff like that. Sure, there was a couple shots of their friends. But they looked like the generic faceless kind that you list in the hopes of making things look good.

"June was alright and I got her number too." Airu remarked as their vision was blinded once more. This time, we find ourselves in an abandoned discount Tokyo Disneyland. A picnic had been set up, with all the whole family there. Though, it would appear that one of Youko's friends reared their ugly face. Had his eyes on Cho too.

"Hand her over." they announce and charge forward, only for a bear trap to be smashed into his face. Again.

"Agni, this needs to stop." Youko announced as she got her scythe at the ready, while Cho got her rake out. No scratch that. Because it would seem that the rod had gotten an upgrade in the form of what looked be a spear with a pair of 'daggers' a sort of axe shape (a Ji). It had no rocket power, sadly. "I get that you think what happen wasn't fair, but that doesn't make killing a little girl right."

Mr Suzaki cleared his throat, focusing his attention on their opponent.

"Is this Morva would like to be remembered?" he announced as Jesmon got ready to bring forth swords to rain down upon the area.

"She took her away." 'Agni' responded, still somehow able to talk and stuff. "Why don't you just go fuck your daughters, Amazoneko. One of them would probably love it."

For that wonderful remark, our loveable leader was sent sky high and far away from here. He probably had a remark for her husband as well, but it doesn't matter now.

While that was all going on, Airu was getting something out of what looked to be her picnic basket.

"Sorry if this is a little late…" she whispered, handing over something wrapped in saran wrap over to girlfriend. "But I got you a present."

Cho let her attention turn to the gift, looking past the lack of surprise. And sure, giving a cake is kind of cliche. Though, it looked edible for once. So she carefully removed the protective layer and dug in. To her surprise, the cake was somehow edible. Are you alright, Airu?

For that remark, Airu gave the sky a look. Didn't really change how we feel about this situation.

"Good to know." the trapper remarked, finding a piece of her desert hovering right. "Okay. I'll have some too."

Airu opened her mouth and took careful bites. Once that was done, the pair leaned in and lips met. While not quite the same energy as before, the kiss was still quite exquisite.

"Happy tenth birthday, Cho." she whispered as they broke away. Their attention turns to the nearby castle and its fading pink and blue color scheme. They made their way towards this decaying marvel as another flash followed, bringing them back to their paddle boat.

"That's still the best cake you've ever made for me, Sugar." Cho remarked, just catching a bit of blushing on her girlfriend's part.  
"Uh… thanks, Cho." Airu answered as she tried her best not to hide her joy in hearing that. Though, something else was kind of bothering her after this. "Why didn't we go to Disneyland Tokyo?"

Cho took a deep breath.

"I believe that was the initial plan, Sugar." the baker suggested as they stopped the boat, taking in a miniature version of the place they had their picnic at. While quite an accurate representation, it painted a picture of an abandoned place once filled with joy and smiles rather than a joyous spot to hold a late picnic birthday. "But when we got to the gates and Youko tried to pay for passes, she accidentally transformed and got all of Disney's security on us."

That explains it. You would think these people would be more used to it. This being Japan and all.

Ignoring that comment, the pair paddled onwards.

Sixth grade signaled the end of their time in elementary school and the start of middle school, with not much in the way of drama or really development. If anything, it was where our main duo cemented some things that would help them later down the line. In Airu's case, it was managing to secure a bit of tutoring from one of Lady Darcmon's many combat trainers. Cho on the other hand, was more focused on enhancing/regaining her arcane abilities. Though, she also dabbled in some electronic on the side. So she talked one of the teachers into 'extracurricular activities'. Which sounds nefarious, but was far more mundane. Even Airu got to join in on the fun as support and positive encouragement.

"So what were you trying to learn, Cho?"

Cho looked away. She muttered something to herself and returned her focus back to her girlfriend.

"I wanted to make your dream a reality." the baker explained and watched Airu's eyes widen.

"Really?" Airu whispered, a smile forming on her face. Before she got a chance to say anything else, another flash entered.

This time, we find ourselves looking upon a bedroom split in two. On one side, we find Airu working on her traps. Of note, was a poster displaying a pair of robot catgirls - nekoroids to be exact. One red, the other green with the words 'Baste and Cha-Cha'. Which me-

Before one of our narrators (Chaos, I believe) could finish that sentence, radio static filled the air.

Sorry about that. Time shifts are an absolute bitch. Especially ones like this.

As we were staying, Cho's side looked like a makeshift library of cook books and random piles of scraps being torn about. In the middle, the box of cure dolls awaited joint play. With the arrival of a new member to the Suzaki's household, tensions were quite high.

"Cho!"

The baker's gaze focused on the other side of the room. While Airu was at least attempting to keep some level of eye contact with her, there was something else there. And it hurt.

"What now?" she remarked, watching her 'girlfriend' sigh. Airu made her way towards the cure doll box. Ripping the lid off, the trapper began scattering dolls all across the floor.

"Did you take my Cure Heart doll again?" she accused as Cho made her way over. Hopefully, this wouldn't take long and they would continue their general aggression for each other.

"No, but did you take Regina by any chance?"

A glare.

"And to answer your question, no." Cho continued and stepped towards her girlfriend. "I haven't even taken put any your stu-"

Cho didn't get to finish. Mostly because Airu slammed her fist into the baker's face. So Cho went for the lips.

"Sugar, something needs to change." the baker remarked and pulled her girlfriend closer. "If we want to make this work, we can't keep arguing the way that we are."

Airu took a deep breath and accepted the gesture.

"You're right." she whispered back, embracing Cho in a hug. "Let's get the dolls cleaned up and then this room back together."

A nod and then a flash of light. This time, the pair found themselves staring down at what looked to be the cure dolls that they had been looking for.

"Of course they were under the bin itself." Airu remarked as she let that memory fade. "How many years did take? 3?"

She got a nod.

"At least we found them, Sugar." Cho countered, only for both girls to just giggle. They continued paddling, taking in the escapades they got into during this weird and awkward time of their lives. That consisted mostly of conversations, with the occasional prank. Which was on top of their general interactions with the newest member of their family.

Once more, a flash. This time, we find the pair in a small room. Just barely, the sound of people waiting could just be barely heard. At the moment, butterflies were ready to have their way and silence them.

"Are you ready to do this?" Airu whispered as she turned her attention to Cho. While this was probably not the best way to show off their cosplaying skills, it was also a halloween party. Making this one of those few times you get to kill two birds with one stone or something.

"Yeah…" Cho remarked, the title for her girlfriend absent for once. "Do you think we'll be alright, Sugar?"

Their outfits weren't their usual ones. No, these were special ones that they had sewed up for this occasion. Based off of the main cure pair of Heartcatch Precure, the flower-based outfits were as close as they could get.

Which also meant a bunch of accessories and makeup. It was both exciting and terrifying for the pair.

"Not if you have an attitude like that, Cho." the trapper whispered and handed over a bald cap. In return, the baker gave her a slight tap to the shoulder.

"Of course, Sugar." Cho whispered, slipping the bald cap on. Once they were certain that all her hair was covered, it was Airu's turn to put the cap on. "We're a pair now."

A smile was her answer, especially when she brought her wig up and put it on. While the wavy cyan hairdo was by no means Cho's favorite, it was something she could put up with. Especially when Airu got the large pink ponytail wig on.

Once the wigs were snug, a quick round of makeup followed. Just little lipstick and blush. Nothing major.

"I'm Cure Blossom!" the trapper announced, turning her attention to Cho.

"I'm Cure Marine!" the baker continued as the pair both got up. Then they struck a pose.

"We're Heartcatch Precure!" the duo announced and headed into the party. It also brought our pair back to the swan boat.

"That was fun, Sugar." Cho whispered as they passed a copy of Airu dressed up as Cure Heart while a copy of Cho was dressed as Regina. "Didn't we go as them for the Doki Doki Precure Movie?"

Airu gave a nod as her gaze focused elsewhere.

"I refuse to accept any part of that movie." she muttered, getting pulled back by her girlfriend.

"I doubt its canon, Sugar. " Cho remarked as they passed their next halloween installation, which was another precure pair. At least these one were not just warriors, but princesses. I guess neither of them wanted any part of Happiness Charge. Didn't stop the princesses from bombing though. Something something alienating their audience. It was a lesson not learned by the next season. Not that I think Airu would even admit it. "Uh yeah, that."

She shot her girlfriend a quick glance, only for them be blinded once more.

* * *

Notes:

Have you ever edited a chapter and then it became two? Yeah, that's what happened here.

.

On our next date: The second half of our trip.


	39. Trip down memory lane pt 2

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

When we last left off, Airu and Cho had found themselves in an unknown place post their battle with Hailey. Along the way, they found themselves living (or perhaps reliving) past memories. Which is exactly what we find them doing at the moment.

This time, we find ourselves engaging in what looks to be trick-or-treating. Which in Japan at least, meant being around a whole bunch of children dressed like your favorite characters and eating what are hopefully sugary delights. What's not to love?

But there was something else on Airu's mind at the moment. A small box hid in her cure miracle costume, waiting for the right moment to pop the question for her cure magical.

"How do I look, Sugar?" Cho inquired and let her girlfriend take her in. While their high school years had been surprisingly good to both girls, there was an argument to be made that Cho had gotten more out than Airu, beauty-wise. Though, neither girl could really show it these childish magical girl outfits.

Not that it mattered to the children that had flocked to see them. Probably a bunch of fans that hadn't heard the rumors of the next season leaking out.

"Where's Felice?" one of them announced.

"Felice is off doing stuff, I guess." Cho remarked, hoping to go that this lie was enough to get them off their backs. "Maybe if you check back later, she'll be here."

That answer wasn't satisfactory enough. Possibly because these kids thought they were the real deal and not I don't know, a pair of innocent cosplayers.

"Crud." Airu muttered under her breath and pointed her linkle stick out towards a nearby alley. "There's Felice! Why don't you go and say hi to her!"

The group ran off, assaulting some green-haired kid. He didn't looked to be doing anything important. We hope. At least.

After, Airu let her attention turn to her girlfriend.

"Cho?"

The baker swung around, finding Airu now down on one knee.

"Yes, Sugar?" the baker whispered and watched a box be held out in front of her.

"You been my lovely diamond in the rough. So, I thought I would get you in actual one." Airu explained as she made a glance all about. Her body was going on overdrive with little sign of slowing down. This was the moment that could make or break her. "So, can we put a ring on this?"

She opened the box up, revealing the ring she had chosen.

"Of course, Sugar." Cho answered and slipped the ring on. After, her attention turned back to her now fiance. "If you just wanted me to wear something like this, you didn't have to go through such a performance."

Airu took a deep breath, a chuckle following right after.

"I just proposed to you." the trapper explained and watched Cho's expression change. "We can get married now."  
It took a few more seconds for the baker to realize what just happened. She let out a chuckle and pulled the trapper in for a kiss.

Which came right as the rest of Airu's family made their entrance, stage left.

"Did she say yes?" the youngest member announced, having decided to go in Cho's old armor. Though, this would appear to be painted cyan with a duck theming to boot. It looks nice. But not as nice as the cat or pig versions.

Delia though, had gone for her best angewomon costume. It wasn't half bad, if not for the fact that she forgot to dye her hair blonde.

"I believe she did, Hinoka." the lilithmon whispered, glimpsing towards this new member's chest region. "I see you there."

But the 'bulge' didn't seem to care.

"Congratulation you two." Youko called out, having a reason for once to be in her regular form. That didn't explain why her husband had decided to cosplay as a mini 'female' version of Imperialdramon Fighter Mode. I guess whatever works for you. "Maybe once your done with school, we'll have to do something special."

The two lovebirds gave a nod as they were brought back to their swan boat. Just barely, the end of their journey could be seen. But there looked like there was still a chance of at least one more memory flash thing to occur

"I'm still kind of mad at you for tricking me, Sugar." Cho remarked, looking down at the wedding band. "Good choice on the ring though."

Airu blushed a bright shade of pink.

"It was kind of hard." Airu answered, letting her gaze focus on Cho for the moment. "You're not the easiest to shop for at times."

That got her a chuckle.

"I would say you're quite easy to shop for, Sugar." Cho countered, only for a ring box to fall out. "Oops?"

Her fiance let out a sigh and handed the box over. While tempting as it might to see Cho's ring, it was probably something pink with something purple. Perfect for the next time shift whenever it happens.

Of course, there was still more pictures to look at. And by that, I mean high school graduation photos. A time that's both stressful and joyful for both students and parents. It brings with it job offerings, saying goodbyes to friends you'll probably not see again and being able to properly enter the world of adulting. We're still looking for the customer service department for them.

But that's beyond the point. The pair had passed with flying colors and were more than ready

Of course, the trapper's parents kept the promise they made during halloween. Which brings us to our next time shift.

This time, we find ourselves in what looks to be a church. A christian one to be exact. Wasn't really expecting that of all places to go. Maybe something small and intimate, like in a forest. But we digress.

Per such a big event, the butterflies were out in full force and everyone was running on empty.

Of course, neither girl had really gotten to see each other or the dress they had picked out.

"I really hope Cho loves my choice." Airu thought, her gaze focusing in on her reflection at the moment. While the pink latex wedding dress she was wearing was actually easy to move in, it was the closest they had gotten to what the trapper wished to be. It even came with a pair of paw gloves and ears. While there was also a face mask, she prefered for her face to meet her fiance's face without a piece of latex between them.

"Are you ready?" a voice called out, most definitely her mother's. So Airu carefully got up and exited out into the main part of the church. Up ahead, Cho waited in her own purple wedding dress. While not made of latex, it gave the baker a bit of a housewife vibe. One that can easily kick your ass with that halberd of hers.

Right now, it was time to exchange vows and begin the next chapter of their life. With Jesmon acting as the priest for this whole ceremony. Delia was the flower girl, while this 'Hinoka' girl was the ringbearer.

"Do you take this woman as your wife, Miss Airu?" Jesmon explained

The trapper's attention turned to her fiance, which she followed by a nod.

"I do." she whispered and watched Jesmon focus on Cho now.

"Do you take this woman as your wife, Miss Cho?"

Cho attention snapped to Airu and pulled her in.

"I do."

Without any cue from the priest or anyone in the audience, the pair embraced. The bright flash followed, with the pair finding themselves back in their regular clothes.

I guess we're married now." Airu remarked, only to realize something right after. "Wait. Does that mean we're not quite eighteen?"

Cho let out a chuckle.

"I'll keep you at eighteen in my heart, Sugar." she joked as her attention focused on Airu's body. While the necessary tech was almost there, a full-on conversion was something that was still untested.

"So how close do you think we to my dream?" the trapper inquired and got a deep breath in return.

"We're almost there, Sugar. But this is something that we can't just rush into." Cho explained, trying her best to be as optimistic. "I promise that I'll make your dream a reality. But right now, let us savor this moment."

Airu gave a nod, watching her wife look off into space. While such a physical change might change their relationship, they would still love each other. It would just have to take on a new form. What that might exactly be, the trapper wasn't entirely certain. They could figure it out when they got to that point.

For now, they just needed to get to the end of this ride. They paddled onward and found themselves at the last scene. No flash followed, mostly because none was really needed.

The scene in question showed them on what looked like the Sagomon hunt. Ren, Ryouma and the rest of their digimon were also displayed, even though there was no reason for their mounts or Astamon to even be there. I guess they wanted to have some part of the fish dude? Or would this be the result of a large time shift occurring? I'm not entirely certain on this.

"I guess this is present time then?" Airu whispered and got a nod from Cho. "I guess that means most of my parents friends want me and you dead."

Cho took a deep breath, only for it turn into a chuckle.

"Let them, Sugar. We'll get through to them much like we did with Youko." the baker answered, giving Airu a small hug.

"Yeah. We'll just have to get to the bottom of this mystery." Airu whispered as the boat lightly tapped the platform. So the pair disembarked and tied the boat off. While unlikely, someone else might show up and use it. Hopefully, no one else does.

After, their attention turned to the platform itself. While the actual surroundings were still the same, the platform had one of those cool marbled stone effect. The only piece of actual furniture to be found here seemed to be a large queen mattress bed. "Ready for bed?"

Cho gave a nod and they pulled the covers back. Airu slid herself in, pulling Cho down with her. After a bit of rearranging, the couple snuggled up to each other and let sleep take them in.

.

Cho's eyes slowly flutter open

Airu currently laid within her arms, looking as cute as can be in that nightgown of hers. Possibly, it would make her even cuter once they were able to get Airu's dream fulfilled.

"Wakey, wakey, Sugar." she whispered and watched her wife slowly rouse from her slumber. "It looks like we made it."

"Yeah." Airu whispered, glancing down at the nightgown. While she was a little sad that nothing really new had between sleeping in that bed and her own, it was something she could deal with for the moment.

After making a quick look down to make sure that nothing else had happened, Airu's focus turned to their room itself.

Compared to what they had initially, the room was slightly bigger and quite a bit more decorated. All of Airu's precure merchandise had their own particular corner of the room, all grouped together by what season they had appeared in. Of course, a custom Regina and Cure Heart figurine held hands at their side while also serving as decorations for an alarm clock. At this particular moment, the couple had dressed them up in wedding gowns.

The walls had been painted a shade of pale pink, with what looked to be a plain shag carpet. I guess it all can't be pink.

"I guess we have." she whispered and pulled herself up, getting out of bed right after. Cho followed right behind, with the two deciding to make their way to the closet to start off with. "Let's see here."

Along with the outfits they had tried on so far, there were also a couple makeshift 'OC cure outfits' and some miscellaneous stuff.

"Got everything?" Airu remarked as she put her gauntlet on and got a nod from Cho, who pulled her retractable rake out. "Good."

Outside, Delia waited in her Ophanimon form. Which looked a lot like her lilithmon form, but had gone with some brown dye to the hair. 'Hiroshi' on the other hand, was a much different story.

Gone was the bratty boy that was a complete and utter idiot, having been replaced with a young girl dressed in mage's robes. Her brunette hair was on the short side, but looked quite well cared for. Though, she seemed quite dazed at the moment.

"Hinoka had a bad dream." Delia remarked and picked her younger sister up. "So she wiped her own memory. Again."

Airu let out a sigh, watching Hiros- I mean Hinoka's eyes slowly open.

"Mornin' Sis." Hinoka greeted and looked down towards the ground. "Do you where did Miss Dolly went?"

On cue, a young girl dressed in pink coat dress thing walked out. A wavy blonde wig with a large pink bow hung in her hair, while a pair of white stocks added to the pair of pink heels and their weird leg guard things. Pretty good Hina-Ichigo I have to say.

Oh wait. That's just Ryouma.

"There she is!"

Before Airu or Cho had a chance to really talk to their teammate, Ryouma found herself scooped up into Hinoka's arms.

"So are Shinku and Hinaichigo your only costumes?" Cho inquired and got a nod.

"I have Kanaria mostly done, but Suiseiseki is going to be an absolute pain to put together." Ryouma explained and ran back into the room, coming back out in her usual outfit. Which appeared to be a lighter and more travel friendly version of the 'Shinku' outfit. With that now out of the way, the four made their way downstairs.

Compared to the changes made to Airu and Cho's room, far less had gone into the improvements of the rest of the house. Sure, the ceiling and some of the lights were now slightly higher up, but that was really it. Of course, there was still things like Ren sleeping on the family's couch while Yasyamon stood guard.

"Welcome back." the bomber greeted and sat up, letting his gaze focus on Airu. While his appearance seemed unchanged, he looked happy. Which I guess counts for something. "How did it go?"

He got a giggle in return. Even if that wasn't quite the full answer.

"I guess it went quite well." Airu remarked and sat herself down at the kitchen table. There, she motioned for her teammates and their partners to come over. Though in Astamon's case, it was come over to the back door and just listen. "Now that Cho and I are back, should we take up that offer we were given?"

After she said that, Yasyamon muttered something under his breath. Everyone else seemed to perk up after hearing that. Mostly because it was an excuse to have a vacation after the past couple stressful days. Or perhaps to celebrate the timeline mostly coming back together.

"He really wants to go after those grand demon lords for some reason." Ren continued, shooting his partner a quick glance. "Another day, okay?"

Yasyamon sighed and let his attention return to Airu. There, he gave the trapper a quick nod and sat himself down at the table.

* * *

Notes:

Yes. I'm aware this part is longer.

.

On our next date: We get prepared for a tropical trip.


	40. On the road again

I don't own digimon.

* * *

With that problem now solved, it was time for breakfast. Courtesy of Cho, they were gorging down upon some scrambled eggs and buttered toast.

"Thank you, Cho." Ryouma remarked, each bite just the result of Hinoka pushing it in. For trying to put up such a tough image, it's kind of hard to see her as the same person from before the time shift.

"Of course." Cho answered as she opened the sliding door. "Here you go, Astamon."

Astamon gave a nod as the baker handed the plate over. Cho then made her way back inside to join everyone else at the table. While everyone else had already finished, they waited for her to finish.

"So are mom and dad up yet?" Airu inquired as the sound of metal banging up against fabric echoed from down the hall. I guess that answers it.

"Good morning, everyone." Youko announced as her husband poked their head out. "Sorry about what happened last night. Agni has been like that for a while."

Silence fell over our heroes, their gazes more on various furniture pieces than the large armored angel.

"It's alright, mom." Airu remarked as finally focused back on Youko. Ren and Ryouma just nodded. "You probably had your reasons for doing so."

Youko looked away, mumbled something to the silence. Then it was back to our heroes with her full attention.

"Yeah…" she whispered as she set her passenger down.

"We got an offer to visit Nekove, all expenses paid." Cho explained, only for Mr Suzaki to get down from his wife. He was dressed casually for once, with a very fidgety scarf being the main thing of note.

"Best of luck then." he remarked and sat down beside his adopted daughter. "Just don't do anything dangerous."

Dangerous, no. Crazy, that's a likely possibility. Especially with these jokers.

"Hey…" Ryouma added, her gaze focusing on the ceiling. "We're not that bad."

You tried to choke out a video star. And while probably did deserve it, doesn't make it right. And let's not even get started on Ren's explosives. How does he manage not to blow himself up when moving in a garment designed for slow and precise movement? Better yet, how come the dress doesn't look like a complete and utter mess after every fight?

"I have my ways." Ren muttered, collecting the dishes in a nice pile and headed over to the dishwasher. Which also came with a laugh from Yasyamon "What? WWe do not need to dry clean the entire wardrobe over a little bit of ketchup?"

Yasyamon didn't answer. Instead, he just snapped a photo and looked at it.

"You idiot." the bomber continued and swiped at the camera. But all he seemed to catch was the air in front of him. Some more laughter too, but you can't really measure that.

"We're off to pack then." Airu announced as she and Cho got up from the table, leaving behind Cho's empty plate. "Ryouma, do you want us to grab anything?"

Ryouma shook her head and jumped into Hinoka's arms.

"I can grab that stuff myself." the doll responded, her gaze shifting over to her 'master'. "Right?"

Hinoka looked all around the room, eventually deciding it was just best to nod.

"Of course." she whispered, watching her old sister and their 'partner' sprint out of the dining room and back up the stairs.

Then it was back to their room again. After getting dressed in what they deemed to be their preferred outfits. Which appear to be just a matching pink t-shirt and skirt for Airu with Cho going for more of a blouse and jean combo.

"Feels kind of odd to be wearing this again, Sugar." Cho muttered, watching her wife's eyes go all big and sparkly. While she appreciated the gesture, now wasn't the time to be engaging in such activities. Instead, they needed to grab the one backpack they had and make sure everything was in there for what seems like the millionth time.

The only real difference was one of the people packing no longer being a digimon, somehow. Chalk it up to time shifts.

"I guess?" Airu whispered as she slipped the backpack on and handed Cho her axe-spear thing. "Any snacks that you want to bring?"

Cho took a deep breath, slipping the weapon into her pants. Then she was digging through the backpack.

"We still have the stuff from the other day." the baker explained, holding up a baggy of potato straws. I don't think anyone opened them. Or even remembered that they had them. Should be alright to eat. Unless they were grabbed during the weird flashback sequence. Then it's anyone game. "I guess that works."

Back outside, Ryouma was waiting for them with her string and suitcase. At least now, someone had taken the time to put wheels on it. Though, it had to be pushed to get any use out of it. I doubt one smaller would really do.

"Any snacks you want us to bring?" Cho asked and got a head shake from the doll in return.

"Though, a juice box or two would be nice to have on hand." the doll answered and looked towards the couple. "Will I need my swimsuit, by any chance?"

The couple looked towards each other. While they had thought about grabbing theirs, it got pushed to the back burner unintentionally. Probably not a big deal or anything.

"Probably." Cho continued and they watched Ryouma scurry back into Hiroshi's room, leaving the door wide open for some reason.

Compared to their own room, Hinoka's had gone in a far different direction than either girl expected. Of what Airu could remember, it was a mess. Nothing had a place or purpose, well outside of the bed. Now though, a makeshift doll workshop had taken its place of all that. A variety of fabrics sat in a neatly arranged pile, while porcelain doll bodies sat on a table with blueprints. A closet full of beautiful outfits and their doll-sized counterparts awaited use, where we find a certain doll searching for one outfit in particular.

"Need some help?" Airu called out, only for Ryouma to poke her head out towards them.

"I guess?" the doll whispered and watched her teammate enter the room, getting down on her knees. "Now that you're back or something, want to hear a juicy secret?"

Both Airu and Cho made her way over.

"Sure." Airu whispered, getting some giggling in return. "What's the scoop?"

Ryouma fell silent, looking to see if her roommate was here. Once she was certain that they weren't, a deep breath.

"I think Hinoka really likes me." Ryouma answered, the two girls just staring back. "Something wrong?"

Cho shot her wife a look. In return, that got her a nod.

"I thought you were all against the whole 'girls loving girls' thing?"

Ryouma let out a sigh.

"Now that you and Cho are married now, it's time for me to accept that my attitude in that regard is no longer acceptable in this house." the doll explained and got a smile in return. "Oh. Here it is."

Carefully, she held up what looked like a small bathing suit. Once it was stuffed into the suitcase, our trio exited the room and made their way downstairs. Then it was time for our main pair to raid the snack drawer. Just in case.

"Everything alright?" Airu's dad remarked, watching his daughter and her wife look over their snack bin. While they had snacks, it was good to make sure they hadn't missed anything. "Don't you think you should maybe wait a day or two?"

The couple's gazes locked onto him.

"If we wait, we're risking the possibility that the offer will be invalid and the rulers have no clue what we're even talking about." Cho explained, with Airu adding a nod.

"Yeah." the trapper continued, grabbing a pack of juice boxes and stuffing them into the bag. "That, and we have gotten more than enough time off."

Are you sure? Twelve years isn't that long of a break.

Mr Suzaki looked away and made an exit, not even taking the time to make a counter to our narrator's remark. Oh well.

After, their attention turned to each other.

"Hopefully you didn't me answering for you, Sugar." Cho added and walked back over to the snack drawer.

"Not at all." Airu answered, watching her wife snag out a box of pocky and a couple little kit kat bars. "I just wonder why he was so concerned about us go-"

Before Airu could even finish her sentence, Cho had grabbed a pocky stick and was now trying to offer the other end to her wife. Are we certain that's what you're supposed to do with these?

"Uh…"

While Airu had wanted her own stick of pocky, this would work too. So she grabbed hold and ate her way up. Eventually, their faces met without a kiss. Probably not the right mood for it.

They broke away, the box of pocky finding its way back onto the counter.

"Ren, is there any snacks that you want to bring?"

Ren turned his attention to the pair, only to look towards his partner.

"I'll be alright." the bomber remarked and smoothed out his dress. "Though, Yasyamon would like some sunflower seeds."

Cho gave a nod, pulling out a couple small pouches from the snack drawer. She then held it up, only for Ren to shake his head.

"Do you have anything bigger? He's in a mood and I don't think those will even last us to even the ferry." the bomber continued and shot Yasyamon another glance. "The last time I ran off, he wrecked the device we use to travel dimensions and trapped both of here us here."  
Airu and Cho shot him a confused glance. At least you got an explanation of sorts?

"You don't carry a spare or at the very least, some alternate method of getting around?" Airu remarked, trying to not sound rude towards her teammate. But Ren took a deep breath and cracked a smile.

"Not really." he explained as they looked towards Yasyamon. At the moment, the photographer was polishing their bouken. While there was a possibility of them getting jumped, it was probably by someone that could at least be reasoned with. Hopefully.

"Anything else?"

Ren shook his head and Airu zipped the backpack up. After, she swung it back onto her back and gave her wife a thumbs up.

"I'm guessing that's everything." Cho added and motioned for everyone to head for the backyard. They followed, There, Airu's parents, Hinoka and Candlemon waited. With a fresh batch of wax to boot.

"Come back soon, Miss Dolly!" Hinoka announced and gave everyone a wave. Especially Ryouma. "I'll be waiting for you!"  
Ryouma gave a wave back.

"I will." she answered, handing her suitcase over to Astamon. The others did something similar, taking their respective places on their mounts. But not before Parasimon tackled Airu and Cho.

"Down boy." Airu whispered, getting a bark from the spider in return. Then it was their turn to get on.

"Where are we going?" Sella inquired as Ren and Yasyamon got themselves seated.

"The harbor." Ren explained, watching his companions head forth. He gave his steed a slight tap and joined his friends.

Notes:

Yes, there was research into japanese snacks. Worth it.

.

On our next date: A run-in with a dino in pants. Among other things.


	41. Across the sea

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

For once, it would seem that no one wanted to attack them. Or they were biding their time elsewhere in wait. It brought with it an odd feeling for our heroes. Sure, it was nice and quiet for once, but was uninteresting in the way of scenery. Thankfully, the destination in question at least sort of made up for it. As it turns out they were going to a different part of their town then most of them were used too. Well kinda.

Out in the distance, what looked to be the docks awaited. Workers and their vehicles were hard at work, moving cargo and shipping containers to their destinations. Cranes were unloading ships, making sure that nothing had a watery fate. Just an accidental slip could result in huge economic consequences for the port.

"I kinda thought it was just one huge shopping district and that was it." Ren remarked and got a chuckle from Airu.

"For the longest time, Cho and I thought the same thing." the trapper explained and gave Parasimon a slight nudge. The spider came to a stop and allowed for the duo to look things over. Sella and Astamon did something similar. Just not as graceful.

"Welcome to Tokyo Harbor, I believe." Cho explained as the trio got off, making their way around the perimeter of the area till they got to the actual docks. The mounts thankfully followed. "Where did the note say the ship was at?"

Before Astamon had a chance to really answer, a massive sword flew in and just missed our heroes. So much for a peaceful trip across the sea.

Out came the weapons for our heroes, just as their opponent came into view - Mr Suzaki and Jesmon. I guess they move fast or something.

"Sorry about this, Airu." the 'handyman' remarked, a sigh following right after. Doesn't the light makeup on his face one bit. "Does it really matter? I'm just doing one of my many jobs."

Fine then.

With that out of the way, Mr Suzaki pulled out what looked to be a large orange 'sword'. Kind of on the questionable side too.

"They have a point." Jesmon remarked, getting a scowl as his partner jumped down. His first move came in the form of a dashing swing with the questionable blade. That came right as his foot met a bear trap. Ow.

A swing of Cho's halberd followed, connecting with the questionable blade. While it wasn't enough to knock the weapon out of their opponent's hands, it did leave him open.

"Eat this." Ren muttered and beaned a grenade into Mr Suzaki's face. It exploded right after, just hiding the approach of both Ryouma and Yasyamon. The former going for a bit of strangling while the latter not even holding seemed especially when Cho launched out of her fireballs and was followed up with the net.

"We're out of here, Jesmon." Mr Suzaki muttered, trying for one more swing. He failed miserably.

**OS Genetics!**

With that, the pair was whisked away and left our heroes even more confused than before.

So Airu picked her equipment up and sighed.

"It'll be alright, Sugar." Cho explained, putting a hand on her wife's shoulder. "We just need to keep an eye out for him and then strike."

Airu nodded, which came right as a yacht finally came into view. Even then, it still took a couple minutes for the boat to reach the dock.

"Ahoy!"

Out popped an orange dino in a pair of glittery gold pants. A million questions seemed to surge through our heroes minds, with nonexistent answers to all of them. I really do wish that there was an in-universe explanation for Swaggy McSwaggypants. Heck, there more reasons for why there a talking russian bear who is also the principal of a school of misfits then this washed-up agumon. At least he has better personality than the bear though.

"That's who is going to take us over?" Ren remarked as Swaggy put the gangplank down. "Are we sure this is a good idea?"  
Airu shot him a glance. Their options were limited when it came to transport from here to the 'Nekove Kingdom'. While they could possibly float across on Astamon, no one really wanted to test that theory. There was also building a raft of sorts, but that could result in even more trouble for the group. Especially since they have to either rely on the wind or one of their partners to move it. Neither of which would prevent them from being dragged back

"It's our only real option, for the moment." the trapper remarked and carefully led Parasimon over. "We'll charter a different captain for the return trip."

Ren nodded, only for everyone's focus to turn to Astamon.

"If I duck, will I be alright?" the gangster remarked and sized up the yacht. While it was probably possible, it was going to be quitte a tight squeeze. So she focused on Ryouma. At the moment, was also looking the ship over. Though it was probably for a ladder or something.

"Maybe." the doll answered and took a deep breath. "How did you even get here in the first place, Astamon?"

Astamon chuckled.

"They had me travel through some gate." Astamon explained and let her gaze focus on the ground. "They said something along the lines of 'You're big, so this really is the only way we can really transport you'. So I pointed out that her wife was the size of a small house and challenged both of them to a fight."

Offscreen, Sachiko was having to physically restrain her wife. So for the moment, backup narrator Evil TK was getting the rare chance of actually narrating.

Please tell you didn't do what I think you went through.

"I kicked the wyvern's ass." Astamon muttered and cracked a smile. "Then I made my exit."

A shot rang out from offscreen, grazing the ultimate's helmet mask thing

"Ow."

Serves you right for that.

Offscreen, the situation with our main narrators was peacefully resolved. Which was probably for the better. My narrating game is a little rusty, but I think I did quite a good job. Also, fuck you Astamon.

"Huh?"

He's just trying to keep his persona up. For the record, I think we should just start calling him Neutral TK.

I heard that.

"Okay then." Airu remarked as she helped Cho down onto the boat. Sella was currently making her way up the gangplank, with Ryouma, Parasimon and Astamon rounding out the back.

"So does your ship have a name or anything?" Cho inquired.

Swaggy gave the baker a confused glance.

"It's a rental, so I'm not quite sure." the dino continued and watched Ren and Yasyamon. "Ooh, a princess. Never had to bring one of those before."

Ren's face glowed pink and he stamped the ground, which gave his partner the perfect time to snap a photo or two.

"I am not a princess." the bomber announced and got an eye-roll from both his partners. You would think he would at least have some level of acceptance to the quite massive duties that might one day take him in. But alas, this was not the case.

"You can deny it all you want." Sella explained and watched Ren focus on her. "But that's who you are."

Yasyamon gave a nod and straightened out Ren's dress, taking another photo for good measure. But not before shooting Sella a look.

"So is he a princess or not?" Swaggy remarked and got a shrug in return.

"Yes." Airu answered and made her way towards the gangplank. There, she and Cho helped Astamon up along with Ryouma. "Are you guys alright?"

Ryouma gave a nod as her partner followed it up with a sideways thumb. Once onboard, Astamon did her best to make herself as small as possible. Though, it was possibly more out of frustration than anything else.

"I'm not certain what the big deal is." she muttered and spit over the edge. "I was just defending my honor. What's wrong with that?"

Airu took a deep breath, following it up with a sigh. Then she knelt down in order to be around the ultimate's level.

"There are good and bad ways to defend your honor." the trapper explained and held her hand out. "The way you did it was a bad way."

For that response, she got a sigh in return.

"Then how should I have handled it then, smartypants?" Astamon mumbled, letting her gaze shift away from Airu.

"You should have told the queen that she hurt your feeling and ask for an apology." Airu continued. "Nicely."

A groan. But then a chuckle.

"You sound just like my teachers." Astamon remarked and looked Airu over. "But I see your point. Though, I doubt that anything majorly bad happened."

Offscreen, both narrators rolled their eyes. It was definitely going to be one of those days.

"It should take me just a minute or two to get you guys to your destination." Swaggy announced and they shot off, possibly far faster than any of them had actually been expecting too. Possibly far faster than they legally should be going at the moment.

The island kingdom of Nekove quickly came into view, revealing it's marble architecture for the world to see. What seemed to clash, was the large purple sphere that covered the palace.

"That's not good." Cho remarked as Yasyamon pulled his camera out, snapping a picture. He then motioned for everyone to come over and see. "Definitely not good, Sugar."

The picture in question showed a woman taking on a large cat creature. For some reason, it had the body of a chained-up woman coming out from the middle of the body.

"Crud." Swaggy whispered as the boat slowed down, pushing right up to the dock. "I really hope you understand what you've done Astamon."

Astamon took a deep breath and nodded.

"I don't think an apology is going to save me now." the gangster muttered, disembarking from the boat. The rest of the group followed.

* * *

Notes:

Swaggy McSwaggypants. Or, the one guy who keeps showing up because I really like him. That's pretty much it.

.

On our next date: We see Nekove and some old friends.


	42. Here in Nekove

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Nekove was not quite what our heroes expected.

They had probably thought they would step out and find themselves in nekomata and wyvern heaven. And sure, there were a lot of those creatures wandering about. Heck, even a few couples in the moment. Some of were of the straight variety, enjoying the presence of their chosen mate in a mix of cuddles and kisses. To balance that all out, there were as many of the gay variety. Possibly even more. They also seemed even more eager, with at least one pair having an aerial kiss. Whatever that meant among other things.

"They seem almost… relaxed to some extent." Cho remarked as one pair in particular, a black nekomata and purple wyvern approached. Though on closer inspection, they looked quite familiar. Too familiar in fact.

"Would this help?" the wyvern joked and the pair switched forms, revealing themselves as the familiar corsair and gambler duo. For this outing, Alice had gone with a crimson-colored strapless sundress with a floral pattern. A pair of sandals covered her feet, while her hair had been tied into a bun. Elena had gone for a similar outfit, with her sundress displaying a nekomata. They also seemed to have their normal weapons rather than that weird stuff at the party.

"Is this going to get confusing?" Ren remarked and got a chuckle from Elena. "I'll take that as a no."

"Everyone calls the queens Lyra and Alisa instead of Elena and Alice." Elena explained and took a deep breath. "There 'separate entities' from the two of us. Well, that's what they told us at least."

Her attention turns to Alice, a smile following.

"But at the moment, Elena and I are acting in place as the 'rulers' of this island." the gambler explained and scanned the group over. She stopped at Astamon, giving her a wife a nod.

The gangster tensed up, waiting for the inevitable stab from one of the corsair's kris. But when no blow even came, she gave the greeters a confused glance.

"While what you did was wrong, you have been forgiven." Alice added, watching Astamon's gaze shift solely to her. "The situation has almost been resolved anyhow. We're just waiting for Alisa to wake up."

Ryouma focused on her partner. While she hadn't expected it too be that easy, it was kind of a relief.

"That's good!" she announced, getting a groan from Astamon. "Any sort of dreams or potential career paths you want to take now?"

The question caught the gangster by surprise, forcing her to think it over. She just needed something to shut the doll up and maybe get her to focus on their mission for once. Yeah, that was exactly what she needed. It didn't need to be really major or even some earth-shattering revelation. Just a job that could sound plausible.

"I always wanted to be a ballerina." Astamon remarked, watching her teammates perk up. "But I think I'm too big."

But Airu shook her head.

"Not with an attitude like that, you won't ever be." the trapper answered and shot Astamon a look. "Give it a shot! You might be surprised by the outcome."

A nod followed by quite a reluctant smile.

"Thanks." Astamon muttered and turned her focus back to her partner. "Isn't there something you wanted to ask Alice?"

For a few seconds, Ryouma just stared off into space. Then, she realized what Astamon was hinting too. So carefully, she made her way over to the lucky gambler and grabbed hold of her dress.

"Yes?" Alice inquired and looked down, finding Ryouma at her feet. "Let me guess, this is about my sister. Isn't it?"

Alice got a nod, letting out a sigh in return. A mix of emotions seemed to surge within her. She probably wanted to be mad at her sister for disappearing on them back at the Tanaka's compound. But at the same time, she could sort of understand why.

"As much as I don't want to say this," the gambler remarked and pulled the doll in. "Welcome to our family."

With that, she let Elena have a turn. And by turn, I mean snuggle up with the doll for the next couple minutes in her wyvern form. If nothing else, it would give Alice a chance to talk to her sister.

"Uh… thanks ?" Ryouma remarked and looked back towards Elena. "Could you maybe give me at least a tiny bit of an explanation?"

Elena gave a nod.

"Basically, the one who sent you down and hired Astamon is Alice's sister, Suiko." the corsair explained and made a glance towards her wife. "Her parents were kinda evil and wanted a daughter, so they kidnapped a princess from this place called Medreth or something. Long story short, Suiko was that princess and Alice is a clone of her. A very broken 'clone' to be exact."

Ryouma looked over to her older 'sister' and watched her talk. Of what she could remember of Suiko, they didn't look related at all. Though, I would argue it was even worse back then. How did she not overheat in that stupid black outfit? Like seriously, it gets crazy hot in some of these places in the digital world and rarely does it look like she broke a sweat.

"Says the girl who probably prances around in just a cloak and hood." Alice countered and looked up to the sky.

I have no idea what your talking about. Of course I'm wearing clothes! What makes you think otherwise? Sachiko, stop that!

Just barely, the sound of someone trying to get a person into actual clothes could be heard. If I had to make an educated guess. Chaos had least been wearing her cloak, just minus the hood and maybe some undergarments. I guessing it's been one of those sort of days. So the characters waited.

"How's the weather been?" Alice remarked and watched Cho's attention turn to her.

"Alright." the baker answered, giving the sky a look. While there were some clouds up above, the sun was shining beautifully. "It's been mostly dry. I wouldn't mind some rain, though."

It's pretty obvious that you're just trying to pass the time. We're almost there.

"Good to know." Sella added as she focused on Ryouma. "Do I need to refer to you by 'your majesty' now?"

It would seem that the doll wasn't listening and was instead trying to text Hinoka the news.

Were back now. Carry on.

"I'm not sure when exactly Suiko will appear. Hopefully soon." the gambler continued, only to notice something. "Could you please at least use our proper titles?"

I guess. This is just easier. That, and your title was just stupid.

"Sure…" Alice muttered and leaned up against Elena. "Our titles aren't that bad."

Silence. Mostly because our narrators forgot to even include them. Sure, they could include them now, but it was just fluff. And I don't it really affects anything right now.

"Good to know." Airu remarked as Elena switched back to her human form. "Though, can I ask you both a question?"

"Shoot." Elena remarked and turned her attention towards the trapper.

"What exactly are we here to do?" Airu remarked, getting a nervous laugh from the pair. "Do we really want to know?"

She got a nod after that, only for Alice to shoot her a glance.

"You guys are acting as a babysitter for the queen's daughter for starters. After that, we're not entirely certain."

Everyone's gazes returned to the pair.

"Uh… Welcome to Nekove?" they announced, the sphere disappearing right after. "Good. We stalled long enough."

That got them a look. Though, they were used to that sort these days. If anything, it was to be expected for them to some extent.

"I guess it's time for you to meet them." Alice remarked, Elena switching forms once more. Then the gambler got on her mount, with our heroes doing something similar.

What followed, was a bit of a walk from the dock to the town. Like the palace off in the distance, the buildings were all made out of marble. At least they had painted some of the stone to break it up. In retrospect, that may have not been the best idea in the world.

Outside of that, things seemed normal enough. Nekomata and wyverns were going about their business, shopkeepers were peddling their goods and love was just as thick as it seemed to be out on the docks. It was a lot more showy though. Not that can be seen as quite a bad thing.

"Best of Luck!" Cho announced as they passed a pair of wyverns kissing. They look like they've been together a while. Best of luck to them.

Eventually, the town gave way to jungle and our heroes found themselves at the gates to the palace.

* * *

Notes:

I really like how Nekove turned out. Maybe it's because I've been doing a lot of D&D on the side, but an island filled with wyverns and nekomata sounds kind of awesome.

.

On our next date: We enter the palace. I wonder what things await us in there.


	43. Briefing at the Palace

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Like a majority of Nekove's buildings, the entrance to the palace was made out of marble. More specifically, black marble. Which went quite nice with the pink stuco being used to break up the stone. Though, it did seem quite unimpressive for what was supposed to be the entrance to the royal residence.

"This is it." Astamon whispered as she looked for somewhere to hide. While forgiven, it would seem that the gangster still had so doubts when it came to moments like this. Fair enough. Especially with the size of those doors. Hopefully, we don't have another one of those situations.

"Welcome." a voice announced and the doors opened up, revealing a pair of woman.

The one on the left was a purple wyvern of all things, draped in a dark blue sundress with matching. Short socks covered her legs that complemented the matching little gloves on the hands. A pair of sandals held a pair of lower paws in, while a pair of leathery wings flapped in place. They had been decorated with ribbon and bows. Finishing off the look, was a pair of amber eyes with a puce-colored mane with a golden circlet on her forehead.

Her wife on the other hand, had gone for more of a red suit dress and boots. Her black fur was on full display, especially with the purple bow and bell. Finishing it all off, was a pair of chocolate-colored eyes. There wasn't anything else to her design thankfully. Which is for the best.

"I'm sorry that we had to send our less impressive versions to meet you." the wyvern greets.

Both Alice and Elena shot their alternate pair a glance. A chuckle followed. Then it was time for them to make their exit.

"Have a good honeymoon." both queens announced as Alice and Elena shot off into the distance, landing on the beach. They've earned it.

Back with our heroes, their hosts took a deep breath. The doors closed once more and brought forth silence in the room.

"I'm Lyra." the wyvern explained as she curtsied, her attention fixating on a mix of Airu, Cho and Astamon. "Welcome back, Astamon. I do hope you understand what you did."

The gangster nodded, the gesture coming right as the cat's gaze swung on over.

"As much as I would wish to disagree with my wife, I'm willing to look past what happened." she explained, only to realize something right after. "Oh right. I am Alisa, Nekove's other queen."

She gave a bow as their attention turned away from the gangster and towards Ren.

"Oh right." Ren remarked, and gave the two rulers a curtsy. Which got a picture from Yasyamon to boot. Kind of makes you wonder when exactly she's going to "He's always like that."

Both Lyra and Alisa let out a chuckle.

"We're sorry to hear that you're so indecisive about your own identity." Alisa remarked and looked him over. "Whatever path you choose, let yourself be the one deciding."

Ren stood there, letting their words sink in.

"Uh… thanks?" the bomber remarked and stuck their tongue out towards Yasyamon. All that got the bomber was a look.

After, both queens let their full attention be on the trapper and her wife.

"We know a lot about you two." Lyra continued and watched the duo dismount from Parasimon. "Mostly through the rumors going about."

Airu took a deep breath, shooting Cho a look. In return, she got a nod.

"What sort of rumors?" the trapper inquired, getting a chuckle from Lyra in return.

"That you two will start a chain of events that will lead to the end. Again."

That's nice to know, maybe? Personally, neither of us want to go through any of that again.

"Uh…" Cho started. "If you don't mind us asking how exactly?"

Silence, then some glancing between the pair. Then rock paper scissors. Lyra won.

"The 'order' would return." Alisa snarled, following it up with a deep breath. "They were led by a woman named Julie Enoshima. But thanks to the work of my wife and our friends, a majority of the damage has been reduced and/or prevented for now."

Airu gave her a confused glance. Which was to be expected to some extent. Especially in the face of feeling like she was in the dark. But at the same time, something about it felt familiar to her. Maybe it was the name of the woman? Yeah. That could be a possible answer here.

"But that doesn't explain you or Cho for that matter." Alisa continued, holding back the urge to another deep breath. "Originally, there was no 'version' of either of you. And now there is, for some reason."

Cho made a glance to her wife, getting a nod in return.

"We did just travel twelve years in time. Kinda." the baker explained, her audience focusing in on her. "Something wrong?"

No answer.

"Was their polaroids involved?" Lyra inquired and got a pair of nods.

Lyra's attention went to Alisa, whispering something to her. In return, the nekomata whispered something back. Then it was back to Airu and Cho.

"Aftermath of a time shift then?"

"Probably." Airu remarked and took a deep breath, shifting her focus to Cho. Though, it would seem that their companions weren't quite as in the loop as they themselves thought they were.

"Was there a swan boat?"

She got a pair of nods along with a bunch of confused glances from Yasyamon and Astamon.

"Cho and I got left behind and stuff. For some reason, that meant having to paddle a boat through memories for some reason." Airu continued and got some nods in return.

"Fine." Yasyamon muttered, saying what may be his first proper words. Not counting the flashback, of course.

Ren shot him a quick glance and carefully approached.

"You alright?" he inquired and watched his partner focus on him. "Anything that you want to actually talk to me about?"

But he got no answer. Not that the bomber was really expecting one right now. If anything, getting the nod was even a surprise. But it was welcome one, nonetheless.

"Now that we got that out of the way," Lyra remarked and motioned for them to follow. But not before leaving their mounts at the gate.

Inside, the marble walls had been continued through to the interior. Thankfully, they had gotten some wood posts installed to act as pillars, adding some level of contrast to the place. Add in the variety of other colored marble serving as the floor and ceiling, the whole place looked fit for someone as regal as Lyra and Alisa.

"Thank you." the nekomata queen remarked as they took a left, revealing a large glass window. The two then came to a complete stop, allowing for their guests to take in the scenery outside.

Currently, a large cat was chasing after what looked to be a large bird and a woman with bat wings. They don't look to be in a good mood.

"As you can probably see, that's who you'll be playing with." Lyra added and pointed towards the cat. "That is our daughter, Remi."

Everyone's focus turned their attention to the feline. While at first, the creature appeared to be quite normal outside of its massive bus-like size.

But on a much closer inspection, the black furred creature had a bit of purple mixed in. A pair of golden brown eyes seemed to have noticed them and was quite intent on charging towards the window.

"Mommy, momma!" Remi announced, just stopping right before the window. Though, something tells me that there have been cases where the window has been forgotten. Which is quite an awful mess to find yourself "Could you make the crazy lady and birdy go away?"

Both of her parents sigh.

"You'll have to be more specific, honey." Alisa answered, getting some stomping in return. "Young lady, how many times have I told you not to stomp. Especially when we have guests."

She got a groan, only for the large bird and bat woman to swoop down.

"I'm a succubus, not a batgirl. Get it right." the woman remarked and took a deep breath. "Whatever. It's good to see that you're both in one piece."

"You too, Lily." Lyra explained and turned to face the group. "These are my partners Lily and Adarnamon."

Of the two, everyone's focus was solely on the large bird. Of note were it's crimson feathers complemented by their rainbow tail plume. The succubus on the other hand, had gone for a shirt and skirt combo. If she was inside, she probably would've worn her most formal outfit. Not that I think it really matters here.

"You can come in now," the wyvern queen continued and watched Remi's gaze shift to Airu and company. "Do you think they could play with you?"  
Remi rolled her eyes.

"I guess." the feline remarked and poked the window with her nose. "Better than those two chew toys."

"We are not chew toys!" the succubus announced and got a sigh, the pair making their exit right after.

"We'll be out there in a few minutes." Alisa added and they headed off, making their way further down the hall until they reached the door. "You guys got all your stuff?"

She got a whole bunch of nods.

"Understood." Alisa remarked and gave them a nod.

And with that, our heroes headed on through.

.

On our next date: Here kitty kitty...


	44. Chapter 44

I don’t own digimon.

* * *

 

 

“You guys ready to do this?”

At the moment, we find our heroes strategizing. Well, trying to strategize.

“Of course, Sugar.” Cho whispered, giving her wife a slight pat. While this wasn’t entirely what any of them were expecting, this was a perfect excuse to get some references for future robotics work. Like a full-on ‘catsuit’ that gave the wearer the bipedal speed of a feline. And the look too. “Anything in particular that you want me to do?”

Airu took a deep breath, debating her options. 

“Just your usual magic. Nothing major unless I give permission.”

A nod, with the trapper’s attention turning to her teammates.

“Anything of use that could help us here?” she continued, watching Ren pull out a cylinder.

“Flashbangs.” the bomber explained, stuffing the cylinder back into his bust. I guess that's what is stopping him from getting implants. “It is not nice to ask such questions.”

Good comeback, princess.

Ren looked away as Airu's attention shifted to Ryouma. 

“What did you bring?” the trapper continued, only for Ryouma to begin digging through her pockets.

“Where is it?” she muttered, digging into whatever secret compartments. Eventually, a doll head nearly popped out. “Darn it, Hinoka!”

She pushed the doll’s head down, pulling out her string in place of it. Then it was back to Airu.

“I knew she would sneak something of hers in.” Ryouma muttered, getting a slight head pat.

With that now figured out, our heroes decided to strike their best fighting poses. I guess they wanted to pump themselves up or something?

For Airu and Cho, that meant pretending that they were the main pair from Mahoutsukai Precure. Ryouma and Astamon did something that looked like a technique from a martial arts movie. And last but most certainly not least, Ren and Yasyamon were doing finger guns. I guess there are worse poses to take.

“Over here, Remi!” Airu announced and watched the cat come over. “We will be your playmates. Is that acceptable?”

Remi rolled her eyes and hissed. I guess someone is having second thoughts or something. Not quite what our heroes were expecting. Especially in the face of all the work they put in to get here.

“We’ll just take that as a ‘no’, then.” Cho remarked and pulled her halberd out. “Is there something wrong?”

But their ‘playmate’ already had her attention focused on her parents. Currently, Lyra was looking over her wife. Who at the moment, was chowing down after her ‘unintended’ tantrum. 

“Momma, mommy, why won’t you play with me right now?!” Remi shouted and walked over, not at all caring that she could accidently stomp someone to death in the process. Since you know, that would be bad and stuff.

If anything, someone seemed ready to have her tantrum over such a small decision. It also made her look hypocritical. But that's beyond the point. 

“PLAY WITH ME!”

Lyra switched forms, getting the attention of everyone except her daughter. A large wyvern stood in her place, or would that be just a regular dragon? Were not entirely certain on that.

While her dress wasn't there, it was quite apparent that the corsair queen saw it as the least of her worries. That, and it would be a point to be grabbed.

“Let’s see here…” she remarked and looked down upon Remi. “I just got done calming mommy down after she went berserk. Which was right after she had played with you.”

A growl from the feline.

“I could just skip on dinner for you.”

She got a sigh for that remark. Not that one would expect anything different from the teenage feline, especially with that crabby mood of hers

“Bah.” Remi whispered and turned around, right as our heroes mounts made their entrance. Why they left them I'm not entirely sure. Maybe they thought it was going to be an indoor event? Oh well.

Ryouma gazed over to the pair. While the doll would never say that she was ‘jealous’, it was a tiny bit annoying to have to rely on her main    
“I want a mount.” Ryouma muttered and focused on Astamon. “But where would I find one?”

While having a mount would be quite nice, it brought a possible size issue for the gangster. She would need something that would not only fit her, but her partner as well. That left some options on the table, but not many for the pair. It probably didn’t help that Ryouma didn’t know of many digimon outside of some stuff Hinoka had told her about.

“Something wrong?” Astamon inquired and picked her up, mostly so that Ryouma could be around the same eye level as her.

“I just trying to think of an ideal mount for us.” Ryouma remarked and jumped up onto Astamon’s shoulder. “Though, your size kind makes things a bit of an issue.”

A sigh, the very lightest of head taps for the doll following. While she understood where Ryouma was possibly coming from, that didn’t change the possibly unrealistic expectations.

“We have a couple digimon in holding.” Alisa explained and watched Ryouma get down. “You can go once Remi is worn out.”

She got a pair of nods in return. Which came right as Lyra finally switched back. Carefully, the corsair queen made her way back over.

“Do you understand now, young lady?” she explained and let her gaze meet that of her daughter’s.

“Yes, mom.” Remi answered and turned around. While not her preferred playmates, they would do for now. “I’m ready to take them on.”

Her opponents perked up. She wasn’t sure why exactly. Compared to her, they might as well be undersized chew toys to be torn apart into a million pieces. Hopefully, they could pull out some surprise for the feline to make it worth it.

“Do you guys want some kind of countdown or anything?” Lyra added, watching their guests just shake their heads. “In that case, go!”

And with that, they were off.

At first, it would seem that Remi had the advantage, especially when Airu and company were circling the cat on their mounts. 

**Huǒ (Fire)!**

But it was Cho who got the first move in, letting it be a fiery hug of sorts to Remi’s back left leg. Once there, she grabbed hold and climbed up to the feline’s back.

“Get off of me, you... thing!”

Remi began to shake about, trying her best to make her ‘passenger’ fall off. All while dodging the bear traps that Airu was somehow dropping from Parasimon. I guess she learned that during our time jump Just barely, she could make o-

Of course, she had managed to walk on one when she wasn’t looking. To add further insult to injury, loud static was filling her eardrums with little signs of stopping.

“Crud.” Remi thought and resumed spinning her body about, catching a glimpse of Ryouma hanging on via her string. “Let go!”

But they weren’t quite ready to listen to her demands. If anything, they were possibly more likely to ignore anything she said.

**Maverick!**

Carefully, Astamon gave the feline a slight kick. While Remi didn’t hit any more of the bear traps or knock either of her passengers off, it did put her squarely in Ren and Yasyamon’s area.

“This might hurt a tiny bit.” the bomber announced and pulled out a metal pipe. He then flung it towards Remi while his partner decided to join the cat-climbing party. If nothing else, to snap a photo or two of their epic endeavor. “Or n-”

Before Ren had a chance to even finish that sentence in its entirety, the explosive went off and flooded the area with light. While not ‘harmful’ it did make seeing anything really hard to do for a couple of seconds. Which was more than enough for those on the feline to tighten their grips and maybe throw a net. Which seemed to now have a paralysis effect even without the wax. Of course, Airu still threw a jar just in case.

“Uncle! Uncle!” Remi announced and let out a hiss, possibly pissed that she had underestimated her opponents and paid the price for it. 

In her defense, she’s probably used to just having to chase whatever came her way and then pin them down. Which also make this a good learning activity. “You guys win.”

Remi took a deep breath and laid down right after, letting the trio that had got on a quick trip off. Once the effects of the net and the wax had finally worn off of course. That stuff can be quite nasty to break free from in good conditions, let alone in a place like this.

“It was a nice change of pace, Remi.” Airu added and watched the feline approach. “Would you like a rematch?”

Remi gave a nod, perking up a tiny bit after hearing that.

“Bring it.” she announced and watched her opponents make their way back towards the door. I guess they didn’t want to make this quite a curbstomp.

They let their weapons hang at their side and motioned for their mounts to stop.

“Go!”

Once more, the two groups charged out and went about their respective routines. \For Remi, that meant dodging and weaving through the trap-filled grass. While for her opponents, it was finding a way to corner the large feline and stop her in place. Or in other words, an upsized game of cat and mouse. Or mousetrap with cat, if one preferred to look at it from that perspective.

“Uh, sure.”  Sella whispered as she ran across the grass, always keeping one eye on Airu. If she didn’t, there was a chance that she would end up running into a bear trap and putting herself out of commision for the rest of the fight.

**Tongue Lashing!**

Stella came to a stop, using her tongue to grab hold of Remi. It didn’t last long.

Especially since Cho and to some extent, Parasimon had projectile moves. Of course, only one of them (Cho) was really using at the moment and even then, she had to be careful not to set the whole lawn on fire.

**Huǒ (Fire)!**

“You’ve gotten a lot better.” Airu whispered and cracked a smile, ignoring the bright shade of red her wife’s face currently was. A chuckle followed.

“Thanks.” Cho whispered and returned her focus back to Remi. While the feline was getting better, it was still quite close. “Sugar, do I have your permission?”

“Of course.” Airu whispered, a nod following.

**Gǎnkuài (Haste)!**

Green light wrapped around the baker’s hand bringing with it little floating sparkles. Carefully, the baker pointed towards their mount and fired.

At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then, Parasimon began to pick up speed, his legs moving far faster than he was used too. But the spider rolled with it, using this newfound advantage to begin lapping their opponent so Airu could put even more bear traps down.

“When did three Airu’s appear?” Ryouma remarked, getting a shrug from her partner. “Oh. Never mind.”

After what seemed like the fifth or sixth lap (it was more like the tenth or eleventh if our count is correct), Parasimon came to a stop and launched both passengers into the wall. They looked ‘mostly’ unharmed. But it did the trick. Remi staggered about and fell down, dizzy.

“Ow.” Airu whispered, peeling herself off of the wall.

“Are you alright, Remi?” Airu inquired and watched the creature slowly pulling herself up. “Good. Want to go for another round?”

Remi shook her head.

“Nah.” Remi answered and made her way over to her parents, laying down beside them. “Thanks for the offer though.”

Her opponent cracked a smile, only to find that their little moment had been caught in photo form. Not that it was a bad thing, mind you. Just not what either of them was expected.

“So can we go to the holding area now?” Ryouma inquired, watching Alisa and Lyra get up. “I guess so.”

Remi’s attention turned to the group.

“Goodbye then.” the feline remarked and watched them give a wave as they exited.

* * *

 

Notes:

This was a fun battle to write. At least here, you can see the chinese lettering.

.

On our next date: Our last mount or something. I wonder what it could be.


	45. Mount for a doll

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Back outside, there were a couple of questions for Cho. Mostly in regards to her magic by Ryouma.

"So you're a magician?" the doll inquired, currently being held up by Airu at the moment.

"Where did you learn to do that stuff?"

Cho took a deep breath.

"Far too much time angsting over relationships in a library." the baker whispered, a nod from her wife following. "Not the greatest time of my life. Especially in regards to Sugar."

Airu chuckled.

"Yeah…" Ryouma muttered, her gaze focusing on the ground for the briefest of moments. Then it was back to the baker. "Do you know any other spells?"

"Not really." Cho answered and was handed some potato sticks. Her hands shaked about, with little sign of stopping. It made eating the potato sticks a bit of the challenge."Even then, just casting that took everything out of me."

Her steps slowed as the shaking traveled to her body, gravity doing the rest of the work. Airu was at least there to catch her.

"I'll be alright." Cho whispered, only to get a head shake in return. "Just help me have a snack or two, Sugar."

Picking up the potato sticks, Airu carefully fed her wife. It wasn't that hard. Just slow.

"Better now?" the trapper asked, a smile forming on Cho's face. Then they on over to their teammates.

All of that work, just to get around the corner.

"You going to be alright?" Astamon whispered and the baker nodded. Which was then followed by more potato straws. The door came into view right afterl

Compared to the one they used in order to enter the palace's outside area, this one was a lot less pretty and seemed to be more functional than anything else. Though, that was judging by the plain grey appearance and the metal finish on it. It didn't even have much in the way of actual electronics, just a large latch to pull it open.

"Please be careful." Lyra explained, switching to her wyvern form to just pull the door open. One by one, our heroes entered.

"Uh… are you coming with us?" Ren remarked, getting a head shake in return. "Why not?"

"You guys look like you handle yourselves." Lyra remarked.  
That isn't reassuring at all. Especially when you consider that you just told that to the guy in a dress hauling around explosives in their 'bust'.

"And your point is?" she continued, with our narrator realizing right after who she was talking too. Only took a string of sign language from her wife.

Never mind. Forgot for a second there who we were dealing with.

Inside, the holding area looked like a cross between a lab and a prison. Laser bars seemed to keep occupants in, including what looked to be an angemon. If angemon were made entirely out of metal and not shaking about from what looked poison. Wait… that fucker is still alive? Was kind of hoping that he was done for. Oh well.

"If you won't let me out, I'll just break free and bang both of you virgins!" the creature announced and got a grenade in his cell. "Just you wait!"

But, everyone's focus had turned to not the weird angemon, but to the thrower of the grenade. A turkey stood at the far end of the room, dressed in a what looked like a jumpsuit more suited for a spy than someone like him. A tommy gun hung at his side, while a pair of night vision goggles hung to his head. He didn't look too happy. Not that we could really blame him.

"Consligmon at your service." the turkey whispered and did a little bow, forcing our heroes attention downwards. "How may I help you people?"

Ryouma stepped forwards and cleared her throat.

"I was curious if you had any mounts that could hold both me," she inquired and pointed towards Astamon. "And my partner?"

For some reason, that got her a chuckle from the turkey. While not the most annoying thing the doll had experienced so far, it sat in the middle of that list. Just above people calling her a 'puppet' but just below getting left behind by accident.

"Why do you even want something from here?" Consligmon continued as his partner shot a look on over. Then it was time to give Ryouma a quick once over. "Or is this one of those things where you don't want to leave it all up to chance?"

Astamon shot the doll a glance, getting a sigh in return. While they were possibly jumping the gun when it came to upgrades, it was still worth the shot. Though, bringing their teammate's mounts in as well was just unnecessary pressure.

"The second option." Ryouma answered as she let her focus shift away from the turkey and to the cells itself. Along with the angel, a variety of beasts seemed to be contained within. "Can I take a look before I make a decision?"

Consligmon nodded, watching the doll make the journey over. Which took a couple minutes because she had make sure on who exactly was up for grabs.

"Who wants to be let out?" Ryouma announced, the attention of everyone in the cells focusing in on her. "Who's fine with being my mount?"

Silence. Especially when she nearly stumbled and Hinoka's present poked its head out. So Ryouma mumbled something to herself and slowly made her way along the cells. Eventually, she stopped in front of one of the larger cells. Just barely, a triceratops could be seen.

"May I help you, pipsqueak?" the triceratops muttered, watching her audience focus on them.

"Come on, you get to run around free and wild while still being on a short leash." Ryouma countered and got a sigh in return."What more could you even want?"

Silence.

"I don't know, not having a pipsqueak for a master?" the creature joked and made some effort to look his audience over. "Go home, maybe your child will play with you?"

Ryouma shook her fist at the cell. As tempting as giving the bird was, that wouldn't accomplish anything. At all. If anything, that was a last resort in this set of negotiations.  
"I am not a pipsqueak!" Ryouma shouted back, puffing her chest out to the . "I'm a lady! A noble, beautiful lady. Dressed for the part of course."  
All that got her was laughter. So the doll walked over to her partner and climbed up. Whispering followed, a plan of sorts formulated.

Then a quick costume change to what appeared to be her 'Shinku' costume. Or in other words, the red dress from the party.

"How's that?" the doll remarked, making sure to curtsy in front of the cell. "My name is Ryouma, what's yours?"

"Triceramon." the dinosaur muttered and carefully pushed their head towards the cell door. Strangely, pink bows had been attached to it horns with quite a bit of care and attention, along with a bit of blush and eyeshadow.

"You're pretty. It's a shame that you have to be locked up in such a small enclosure." Ryouma continued and motioned for Triceramon to come over. While at first, Triceramon seemed to refuse her gesture, the dino eventually relented and slowly pushed her way towards her. "See, that wasn't too hard."

Now that the dino was a lot closer, Ryouma took her fully in. At first glance, there wasn't much going for Triceramon past the ribbons and light makeup. But just barely, the doll could make out the outline of a pair of butterfly wings. You know, like the ones that fairies supposedly have. Well, that was what Ryouma liked to believe at least. She had never met any real fairies in her life, but had seen some in books. Pictures books, mostly.

"That's better." she whispered. "I know someone who could help you with that fairy look of yours."

Triceramon perked up after hearing that.

"Really?" the dino digimon inquired, her face now even closer to the bars then ever before. If she wasn't careful, face could meet lasers. I really doubt anyone here would want that. "There has to be some sort of catch to this, isn't there?"

Ryouma nodded, watching Triceramon take a step back. So she grabbed hold of one of the dino's horns. I guess the lasers aren't as dangerous as they were chalked up to be. Hopefully, none of the prisoners noticed that and got any ideas.

"Why should I go with you? I have everything I might possibly need." Triceramon muttered, watching her passenger try and take a position to be at eye level

"Except freedom to make your dream possible." Ryouma countered. "But my friend and I can give you that. Just let me and Astamon ride you."

A deep breath. Then a step forward with a smile.

"You win." the dino whispered and turned her attention to Consligmon. "Could you kindly let me out?"  
Consligmon got a nod, only for a large yak to walk over with the keys.

"You better be good." the yak muttered, watching his former prisoner just nod.

"I will." Triceramon answered as the bars disappeared, letting her take her first steps of freedom in quite some time. It felt quite good. She had expected it to be bitter, but no. It was actually quite sweet to be out of here. "So, can you tell me about this friend?"

Ryouma jumped off the dino and pulled her doll-sized digivice out. After a bit of dialing and a little waiting, Hinoka finally appeared on screen.

"Hey honey~" the mage greeted, only to notice the large triceratops beside her 'girlfriend'. "I'm guessing that's our next project?"

Ryouma nodded, only for Airu's gaze to turn to the phone. Just behind her sister, one could just barely make out a pair of cure dolls running some sort of sewing machine. And by 'running', I mean stomping on a pedal so that an entirely different doll could do the actual 'sewing'.

"Yep!" Ryouma answered and moved the phone to show off Triceramon's wings. "She wants to be a fairy."

For a few seconds, Hinoka stared at the screen. While that probably seemed like an impossible task, the mage was up for it.

"While I won't able to do much until you guys get back, I can make up some possible prototypes." Hinoka answered and got a nod from both dino and dolly. "Understood."

"Sis, what are you doing with my cure dolls?" Airu inquired, watching her sister give an awkward chuckle and focus in on her.

"You don't mind at all, do you?"

Airu took a deep breath, followed by a sigh. As much as the trapper wanted to get angry at her younger sister, it wouldn't do any good right now.

"Just ask for permission next time, okay?"

Hinoka nodded and the call came to an end.

"Thank you."

After, the group let their attention to each other.

"So now what?" Ren inquired, only for the rumbling of multiple tummies to answer her question. "I guess that answers it."

Their attention turned to Alisa.

"There should be a couple places to get food in the village." she explained and gave a curtsy of her own. "Your free to come back to the palace later, if you want."

Ryouma nodded and turned her attention to Consligmon.

"Thank you." she whispered, getting a nod in return. Then it was time to leave the holding area.

* * *

Notes:

Compared to say someone like Ren who has possibly far too many options, Ryouma has just one option -Triceramon. A perfect fit if you ask me. Outside of that, the schedule might be changing soon. Maybe for the better, maybe for the worst. I'm not entirely certain yet.

.

On our next date: We see something that shouldn't be possible. But they did it anyway.


	46. When Dinosaurs Flutter

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

"Not going to lie, this feels kind of odd."

For Triceramon, there was mixed feelings when it came to being outside of her cell. Even more so now that she was going to be a mount for both a pint-sized doll and giantess of a jackal gangster thing.

"I'm not that big, right?" Astamon remarked, only for both Sella and Ryouma to look over.

"I'll have to agree with the narrators here." the chameleon remarked, tilting her head up to barely make out Astamon's jackal mask.

"It just means that you'll be more visible when you dance." Ryouma chimed in, watching her partner look away. "Want to join me at least?"

The gangster nodded, making her way over to the dino. Then it was just a matter of

"What do you two think? Airu remarked, watching Ryouma shifting her position on the dino. While she had been behind the head, the doll had decided that the back was better. That let her sit her by her partner. Aw...

"She's actually quite comfortable." Ryouma answered and gave her mount a slight pet. Currently, Triceramon's attention seemed to be solely on Astamon, mostly because she didn't want her wings crushed after getting promised that her dream would be fulfilled. Once the gangster was in place, Triceramon took a couple cautious steps forward, holding both of them. "Is that good?"

The dino nodded.

"Would you mind taking it slow? This is my first time handling passengers." Triceramon answered and took a deep breath.

Of course." Sella responded and made her way over. While she did that, Parasimon let out a bark.

"Also, why does the large spider thing think he's a dog?' the dino digimon continued

Everyone's attention turned to Airu and Cho, who looked about ready to give a shrug. While the duo probably should know the answer to that question, neither girl really did. If they had to take an educated guess, it would probably involve damage to the mega's data that never quite healed properly. Or maybe the spider always wanted to be a dog and was living that dream to the fullest. Either answer works.

"He just is." Airu answered as the group turned their attention to their hosts.

"Out for lunch then?" Lyra remarked as her wife rejoined her. "Do have fun on the rest of your trip."

Airu gave a nod as she and her group headed towards the exit. But not before giving a wave.  
"We will." she remarked, letting a smile hang on her face.

After, Alisa let her attention return to the corsair queen.

"Are we certain that she's actually Julie's mother?" Lyra whispered, making a glance towards to the trapper and then back to her wife. While the topic had been brought up by their younger counterparts, it was still good to keep in mind.

"It's possible, but unlikely." Alisa answered back. Of course, they weren't being the most subtle at the moment and their guests noticed.

"What are you guys talking about?" Cho remarked and focused in on the queens. While the baker looked refreshed, she was still taking it slow for now.

"It's just that Airu reminds us someone we had to face down in the past."

Then it was time for everyone else's attention to lock onto the pair. Why they didn't do that when Cho pointed it out I'm not entirely certain.

"So I remind you of this Julie woman?" Airu added, getting a sigh in return. "Do you have a picture of her that we can compare?"

Alisa shot her a wife a glance. A silent nod followed. Personally, neither of us blame them for feeling that way. You would think a bimbo barbie doll would be photogenic. But no, that would actually

"You'll know it when you see her." Lyra answered as she looked towards the subject of this conversation. "Sorry if that wasn't helpful."

But Airu shook her head.

"It's good enough." the trapper answered, giving another wave right after. Then it was off for our heroes. Passing through the palace's gates, the city below seemed to sparkle from so high up. Quite beautiful too.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Airu whispered and held Cho in close. The baker gave a nod and leaned in. She got a kiss to the cheek this time around. "How that's?"

"Prefect, Sugar." the baker whispered back, ignoring the small crowd watching them. Or was there focus on the entire group? We're not entirely certain here. Better yet, why were they even gawking in the first place? People go to the palace, right?

Eventually, Airu broke away and let her attention turn to the town below.

"You two ready to go now?" Ryouma remarked, getting a nod.

"Yeah." Airu answered and got on Parasimon. Cho joined right after. "Triceramon, could you fly like a fairy before your wings broke?"  
Triceramon turned her attention to Airu, confused by what she was even talking about. So the dino digimon focused on Ryouma.

"Fairies hover, not fly." Ryouma explained and looked towards her mount. "Could you do that before, Triceramon?"  
She got a nod. Please don't go where I think this going.

"Can you still?" Astamon added and got another nod.

"Here goes nothing."

With that, Triceramon charged forward and jumped. Somehow, this didn't drop them to their deaths and instead left them in a slight flutter. Which was still absolutely terrifying (at least to Sachiko). For me personally, it's an exhilarating experience. That I need to get someone to enjoy.

Offscreen, Chaos shot her wife a look. It got her quite a bit of resistance. Not that a bit of flying did any harm. Well, we think so at least.

"Oh." Ren remarked as he and Yasyamon got on Sella. The two mounts followed right behind, making sure to keep up with the flyi- I mean fluttering dinosaur. This task was quite easier than one expected, especially when the one was flying wasn't exactly moving that fast or really going that far.

"I never said anything about speed." Triceramon explained and let her feet softly hit the ground. Compared to Remi, she was far more graceful. Like a dancer. Kind of. "Why thank you."

Of course.

The rest of their companions were not long after, having taken a much safer path down. Though, it would've been cool to see them fly about with her.

"No." Sella whispered as they headed off again, taking in the sights on the coast. Currently, a pirate ship was making its way to the harbor, while a bird, no a wyvern swooped about with a woman onboard. "What does that make it now, three of them?"

Her companions shot her a confused glance, unsure of what she was even talking about.  
"Uh… sure." Airu answered and gave Parasimon a slight tap, the spider taking that as a prompt to speed up and head towards the ship.

"I guess we should follow." Ren remarked and Sella gave a nod. Of course, Triceramon rounded out the line. Though, a question seemed to come to mind.

"If you don't mind me asking, who's the pair of women?" the dino remarked and Ryouma climbed up onto her head.

"That's Airu and Cho." Ryouma explained and let out a smile. "There married human-digimon couple."

Airu shot the doll a glare.

"Sugar, I was a digimon at one point." Cho explained, letting her arms wrap around her wife.

Her response seemed to catch Triceramon off, but the dinosaur focused on her partner to the best of her abilities.

"That's mostly unheard of from where I come from. Outside of the one man with a Mervamon for a wife." Triceramon answered. "Outside of here, things aren't as simple."

"What do you mean?"

"Some species are fine with it, others will drag their asses through the mud for even bringing it up."

Ryouma shot her a confused glance.

"That girl of yours. She's a digimon?"

A nod, followed by the doll focusing on a different spot to better see Triceramon's face.

"You care about her quite a lot, don't you?" Triceramon continued. "I'll take that as a yes."

Ryouma looked away, muttering something to herself. It had been a rollercoaster ride for her, with both ups and downs.

"Indeed." Ryouma whispered. "It's been a learning process, but one of these days I would like to tell her how I feel."

I'm fairly certain she already knows.

"Maybe…" the doll responded and made her way back onto Triceramon's back. "But it something that will take time."

Carefully, her mount came to a stop and joined their teammates. By that point, the town was now in front of them. With it, was the looks of all the town folk. Is sex really that uninteresting

"Is there anything we can do for you?" Ren remarked, only for the various wyvern and nekomata's to just go about their day. "Weird."

A pirate ship had now landed along with the beast, revealing…

Another Elena and Alice pair. Along with a pair of nekomata. Weird robot neko things. I guess it was bound to come up, eventually.

.

"So, do you want to talk about it?" Sachiko asked.

After the whole time shift inside of a time shift, the pair had mostly kept to themselves in the background. Outside of narration, of course. Now was as good of a time as any to address something that had been bothering them for some time.

'I guess.' Chaos signed back and let her gaze focus on a nearby picture frame. Sachiko directed her gaze to that same spot. While the various assistants of the author were all sitting patiently with their creator, one was missing now. 'This just isn't making sense."

That remark got her a deep breath, followed by a small hug. It helped a little bit.

"Is that better?" Sachiko whispered and watched her wife just nod. A hug back followed.

* * *

 

Notes:

Yeah. More AWC stuff. Don't think it'll be the last time though.

.

On our next date: Well, this is a blast from the past.


	47. Chapter 47

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

A mix of thoughts seemed to bring their way forth in most of our heroes heads.

They were probably the result of the confusion by the sudden appearance of a third corsair and gambler duo. Maybe they were debating the possible implications of such an event occuring. While that may seem quite worrying, we assure you nothing bad will happen. Nothing bad enough that you guys can't fix of course.

"Good to know?" Astamon whispered as Airu's focus shifted elsewhere. It was less on the 'clones' and more on the nekomata.

The left one appeared to be the brains of the operation, with her green fur and her red cat collar with the tag 'Cha-Cha' just barely visible. A large ring hung around her left ankle.

Her partner had gone for something similar, just with red fur and a green collar. Her tag read 'Baste' of all things. She too had a ring, just on the right ankle instead of the left.

"I want." the trapper jokingly whispered and jumped off Parasimon, Cho following right behind. They closed the distance quite fast, almost eager to meet the duo for some reason. So their teammates followed right behind. But not before grabbing the pair's mount. Even with that 'detour', it didn't take them that long to actually catch up to the pair and take the 'targets'. Who looked kind of robotic up close.

"You're Baste and Cha-Cha!" Airu announced and dug into her bag, pulling out what looked like a poster along with a pen. I don't remember that being in there. "Could I get your autographs?"

'Cha-Cha' gave the duo a bit of a glance, followed by a deep breath.

"Normally, we wouldn't do this," Cha-Cha explained, catching sight of the big kitty eyes she was getting right now. "But since you asked nicely, we can."

Carefully, the trapper handed over both the poster and the pen, watching the two do their magic. Cho was using this more as an opportunity to look both of them over.

"So that's what Airu could look like one day." the baker thought, watching the pair take the utmost care in signing the poster.

"Here you go!" Baste answered and handed the poster back to Airu."You can give us one pet."

Both fans gave a nod, quickly deciding on their preferred nekomata. For Airu, it was most definitely Cha-Cha. Cho on the other hand, was more of a Baste fan. Personally, I would've just pulled both into a hug along with my wife. As for her, would just hug me and be done with these robotic catgirls.

"Purr…" both neko moaned, a strange cross between robotic and loving. Not that either girl seemed to mind. "We do hope that in the future, there will be more nekoroids like us."

Airu perked up.

"Me too." she whispered and the two made their way back to the group. While none of them seemed mad, an explanation was possibly in order.

"What was that about that about?" Ryouma inquired and watched the duo get back on Parasimon.

"They were a pair of nekoroids." Cho explained, getting a mix of confusion and interest in return. "Robot nekomata things. Sugar dream is to become just like them."

Airu gave a nod, catching the attention of her teammates.

"Really, you want to be glorified sex doll?" Ryouma remarked, only to receive a head shake in return.

"No, I just want to be able to protect Cho." the trapper answered as she focused back on her wife. While there were possibly hundred of far better ways to protect the one she loved that didn't involve getting converted into a robot catgirl thing. Yet, this was what the trapper saw as the solution that would work best for both of them. After, she let her attention turn to Cho. "Anything else to add?"

Cho just shook her head.

"Not at all, Sugar." the baker answered, watching their teammates focusing on them.

"Huh." Ren mumbled and turned his attention to Yasyamon. "Don't even think about it."

Yasyamon gave him a shrug in return. While personally, they preferred for her master to stay mostly of flesh and blood. It was a tiny bit tempting however, to use that as a partial excuse for other possibly life-changing procedures. Not that the photographer would ever really entertain those sorts of thoughts.

So they focused on the ship and its crew. Currently, they were engaged in unpacking crates and setting up for a big 'play' of sorts. But something seemed off about them. Some seemed to just freeze in place, while others complained of headaches and were about

"You guys alright?" they mumbled, watching everyone's gazes shift over to him. While normally, the photographer would've kept his mouth shut. Something felt different right now and needed to be dealt with. "Good."  
"Are you alright, Yasyamon?" Ren inquired and watched his partner shake his head. 'Figures."  
While he was doing that, Airu had her attention on her wife.

"Cho, are you feeling something similar?" the trapper inquired and got a nod. Airu let out a sigh and had an idea. "Could you come over?"  
Cho complied and found herself get pulled into a hug.

"Thanks, Sugar." the baker whispered and closed her eyes for a brief second. When she opened them up, her worries seemed to drift away and things seemed slightly better.

Wait. I'm not entirely sure how that even solves the problem. If anything, it's just pushing it off for later. Which is rarely a good thing.

With that now out of the way, they made their way towards the stage area. Compared to the sprint they made just mere minutes before, an attempt was made to pace themselves. Whoever they had managed to piss off probably wanted them to tire out and be unable to fight. Though, they still had enough energy to bring out the projectiles at least. Which was better than nothing?

"Thanks?" Ryouma whispered, keeping a close eye on her two companions. "Are we even sure about this?"

Before anyone had a chance to really answer, they had reached the stage and their eyelids became really heavy.

When their vision was 'kindly' returned to them, our heroes found themselves dressed in labcoats and standing in a room bathed in orange light.

"Ugh.." Airu whispered, taking the time to look herself. While white was by no means her favorite, the labcoat would serve its purpose well enough. Then it was over to Cho. Where the outfit seemed to work slightly better. But that wasn't really saying much. "Dang. We look nice."  
Cho chuckled.

"I guess, Sugar." Cho remarked as their attention turned to Astamon, who had a labcoat of her own for some reason. Yasyamon had gotten one too. A ladies one, I might add. "Huh."

Astamon gave the garment a slight rub. While not entirely what she was expecting, it felt nice.

"It's surprisingly comfy." the gangster remarked as everyone's attention turned to the sole doorway out. Just barely, the sound of people and strange creatures getting it on were just barely audible to anyone here.

A woman ran in right after. Unlike them, she was dressed in a black skirt suit with a matching set of heels. It did do little to hide her overall barbie-like proportions and her pinkish red eyes. Finishing off the look, was a dandelion blonde ponytail. This is going where I think this going. Wonderful.

"What are you people doi-" the woman remarked, only to focus in on Airu. "Mom?"

She got a pair of confused glances. Especially when the woman noticed Cho.

"My name is Julie Enoshima," the woman remarked and focused back on our main pair. "And who is that whore of a woman beside you?!"

This is going to be a mess, isn't it?

.

Victoria took a deep breath.

"So let me get this straight." the black cat remarked, trying to hold back the things she wanted to say to her daughter. "Her hair is green because the past changed again?"

"Yes." Jestery explained and got a deep breath. "Trust Jestery on this one, Momma Kitty!"

Victoria rolled her eyes.

"The last time you told me to trust you, I had to break my soon-to-be wife out from your movie set."

Kuro shot their 'daughter' a quick glance, not wanting to remember that ordeal.

"But it worked out in the end for everyone. That's something, right?"

Before anyone (like my wife) had a chance to really respond, four purple 'slimes' ran up and dogpiled the jester to the floor.

"Big sis Jestery! Big sis Jestery!" they announced and took on a form similar to a blackgatomon. Except with purple fur and black accents. "Are you going to play with us?"

Jestery shot her mother and her step-mom a glare.

"Momma Kitty Victoria didn't say anything about the kids hatching…" Jestery mumbled and got a chuckle from her mother.

"First off, it was only a few days ago." Victoria countered as she walked over to her daughter, adjusting her outfit so that she could at least be around Jestery's height. "And secondly, you never asked. Now, would you kindly tell me what is going on?"

Jestery gulped and gave a reluctant nod. While possibly more powerful than her mother, Victoria still had the edge, fear-wise.

"I'm trying to create a better future." the jester explained, taking a deep breath. "In order to do that, a new past must be written."

Her gaze fell to the ground and got her a sigh from her mother.

"Kuro, could you grab my partners?" Victoria inquired and got a nod from her wife. "I'll grab Chouko at least. The other three should be able to hold down the fort."

"Where are Momma Kitty and company going?"

Jestery got more chuckling.

"On a vacation." Victoria continued and shifted her outfit back to its usual state. "Something tells me I need to at least partially clean up the mess you've created."

She cracked a smile and exited the room, leaving Jestery alone. Before she had a chance to really relax, Julie entered.

"Good job, hero." the former order leader muttered, almost ready to laugh at her opponent. "You overstepped your boundaries and now are facing the consequences."

Jestery turned around, an even larger smile already on her face.

"Who said this was a bad thing?" the jester countered and focused on Julie. "Julie should at least make some effort to pack."

"Why?" Julie answered, only to realize what Jestery was talking about a couple seconds earlier than we expected her too. "Oh. You bitch."

"Have a good trip, Julie!"

The former order leader let out a grumble, not at all in the mood to deal with whatever mess was coming her way.

* * *

Notes:

So yeah. Two Julie's. It works out... eventually. Also, new schedule!

From May 31 to July 28, Cho & Me is going daily. Yes, you read that right. We are going to finish this out your's truly can head on into other projects.

.

On our next date: I wasn't entirely sure what you were expecting to happen here.


	48. Time Marches Onward

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Julie Enoshima was known for many things. Some of which were not the greatest. At the moment, it was her anger that was pushing through more than anything else.

"So my mom is a lesbian, truly fucking wonderful." she muttered and turned her attention to Airu's teammates. "Let me guess, similar story?"

Ren shook his head, with Yasyamon and Astamon doing something similar. Ryouma on the other hand, let her attention focus on the woman.

"And how is that your problem?" the doll countered and climbed up onto her partner. "For all you know, maybe they adopted you?"

Julie's hand connected with the doll, knocking her out of Astamon's hands and into the wall,

"Shut up." Julie muttered, watching those around her pull their weapons out. "Don't you dare raise such a possibility! My parents were a man and a woman, not a woman and her personal whore."

Cho's attention turned to her supposed daughter.

"What did you call me?" the baker muttered and pointed her halberd towards Julie. "We just met. Aren't you going to give me a chance?"

Julie rolled her eyes and went for flipping the bird.

"Why should I? I'll just get my own mother to understand." Julie muttered, only to find herself staring down Airu and her bear trap.

She stepped a foot back and slammed it down, only to find a bear trap sitting on the floor. "Really? I was expecting something far bet-"

The order leader didn't get a chance to finish that sentence, since Ryouma went the strangling route in this situation.

"No. Bad Ryouma." Airu remarked, grabbing hold of her teammate. "I get that you're both mad right now. But now is not the time to be at each other's throats."

Ryouma complied, jumping back to Astamon as Ren stepped up to the plate.

"Oh. A boy in a dress. Slightly better." Julie muttered, only to be faced with a grenade. "My. What is with you people and your insistence on getting rid of me?"

I don't know? Maybe because you're being an absolute asshole to your parents, your possible step aunt and their friends. And that's on top of us.

"Not going to lie, but just go die in a fucking hole."

For that truly wonderful remark, Airu shot her a look.

"Language, young lady." Airu announced, trying to sound as mature yet kind as possible. "I'm not sure what kind of whatever this place is your running, but you are not making a good first impression on me or your mommy."

More eye rolling.

"Like you really fucking care." Julie snarled and pushed her supposed mothers to the ground. "You left me for dead and then went off to fuck that whore of yours."

Cho stood herself up, pointing her halberd toward their opponent.

"I am her wife." Cho announced and focused on Julie. "If that makes me a married whore, so be it. You will treat us nicely. If not, we will stand beside our friends."

"Nah." Julie countered and swung for Airu. But to her surprise, the trapper managed to catch her fist and twist her about.

"I got some training." Airu continued and held her future daughter down. While not as extensive "Cho, could you dig the tripwire out of my pack?"

Cho gave a nod and helped her wife up. Then it was time to dig through Airu's pack. Right now, they needed to get some control over Julie. Even if that meant having to tie her hands together in order to keep her from punching them. Though that did mean actually remembering how the trapper had packed the bag after what felt like two or three days worth of events. If memory had served her correctly, she preferred to keep it in the front pocket with the snacks.

"Here we go." the baker whispered and grabbed the tripwire, zipping the bag up afterward. While the snacks sounded nice, she had eaten earlier. Carefully, she got handed off Julie. "Any area in particular that you want me to hold, Sugar?"

The two switched places. Airu was far better when it came to knots, while she weighed a bit more than her wife even without her armor. Which made activities such as this a bit easier.

"Not really." Airu answered, taking a deep breath. this wasn't exactly what she wanted to be doing at the moment, it was just a necessary precaution. Though I would suggest gagging her as well. Just in case she decides to spew any poison your guy's way.

"I'll just kick everyone!" Julie announced and found herself being frisked by Yasyamon, who decided to air on the side of safety and see if there was anything good. There was, taking the form of a flip phone and a couple red and white swirl mints. So he offered one to his

"No, I do not want a mint." Ren whispered. "There probably poisonous too."

"They are not!" Julie announced and tried to shake about. It didn't work.

Knowing you, they totally are. Your people skills are on such a nonexistent level that one has to wonder how this whole organization doesn't implode on itself. Oh wait. It did. Quite badly too.

"Boo." Julie muttered and went for the hand. But all she tasted was defeat… and metal. "You taste disgusting. I expect better from you."

The person in question - Yasyamon, took great offense to that and hit her with one of his bokkens. Twice. I was hoping that she would get dressed up as some air headed barbie or something.

"Be glad that's the least he did." Ren whispered and pulled out a cap, flinging it out in the air. A loud screeching noise filled the air, which seemed to give Parasimon the perfect chance to make its move.

"Get away from me!" Julie announced, but got a bark in return. "Stop it."

But Parasimon didn't care. No, he was just their pet and was kind of tired of this mess.

"Arf!"

And then the spider grabbed hold, Julie's resistance breaking instantly. Which forced

"Ugh… So this is what a human feels like." 'Julie' announced, her voice sounding hollow and distant. But at the same time, quite soft-spoken. "Oh sorry. I probably should've made some inkling of wanting to help."

Everyone's gazes focused on the spider, with Cho cautiously releasing her hold.

"Oh right. I'm that barking spider." 'Julie' continued and looked itself over. "Though, I doubt there much difference between the words she spews out and my behavior. Outside of that one time I may've gave someone a surprise."

"Uh…" Airu started and turned her attention to her currently possessed daughter, trying to shake off the weird mix of feelings that surged within her. On one hand, this felt like a setup for a really bad porno. On the other hand, they had no reason not to believe her currently possessed future daughter. It probably could give them a clearer picture. "What does Julie think about me and Cho?"

Parasimon let out a snicker.

"Would you like to see?" the spider inquired and got a nod. "Understood."

Carefully, he moved his head and bit down.

"This is the best day of my life! I finally get to meet my birth parents!" 'Julie' announced as her 'host' made an effort to at least sound like the person it was possessing. "Sure having two mommies is a little weird, but eh. I could live with it"

You're lying. There's no way that could be true.

"She isn't," Parasimon countered. "But I can understand where you're coming from, Master Chaos."

His response caught our main narrator off guard, but she took it in stride. She closed her eyes, letting a smile form on her face. Her wife seemed confused at first, only to get something whispered into her ear. After, she gave a nod. To some extent, this was a pleasant surprise for the white mage. Even if it did, it was kind of bittersweet.

"Some legacies never die." Parasimon continued and let Julie's head sag a little. "But time marches onward. Especially for the Dark Destined and all the others left behind after that mess in Odiaba."

Everyone shot him a confused glance. To be fair, they have not existed as long as me or… him.

He's talking about the dark blades. You know, those supposed crazies with the big plantation? It's alright if you never heard of them. Kind of better

"So you were a member.." Airu whispered and took a deep breath. "Good to know."

Her gaze turned to the far side of the room. There, a door awaited use. But when they made their way over, it turned into thick black smoke and disappeared.

'You were supposed to kill her, not make her someone's puppet." a voice announced, revealing themselves to be a strange man dressed in black and purple. "Lobomon, at your service. Well, not really."

.

In a different part of the compound, a woman sits on the floor. A blue humanoid stands over her, holding what looked like a small statuette in her hands. It's of the armor of a fairy, one who once flew into battle to the best of her abilities. Even if she couldn't fly again, this was kind of the only solution they had going for them.

Especially when everyone else in the room was currently fucking their brains with their own digimon partners.

"This is going to hurt," the humanoid explains as she touches the statue, watching it slowly disintegrate. If given the choice of a better option, she probably would've taken it. But given the chances of them being caught at the moment, there was no choice. "I'm sorry, Sugah."

But the girl shakes her head.

"No, this was our fault." the girl counters as the humanoid kneels down. "I'm just glad to see you again."

The humanoid blushes, but brings the pile of dissolving remains towards the girl's mouth. While the process wouldn't take long, they were still running the risk of getting caught and worse, made a part of Julie's personal killing game. Which was not a place anyone - human or digimon, wanted to be.

"Thanks, Sugah." the humanoid whispers and watches a cocoon form around her friend. She takes a deep breath, listening to the muffled shrieks echoing about as light erupted forth. Eventually, the cocoon shatters and revealed a blindfolded fairy girl in lingerie. No, Sachiko I will not do that for you. "Ready to go then?"

She gets a nod and the two headed off.

Notes:

So yeah. Julie Enoshima. Not a nice woman. But that's kind of to be expected. As for the pair in the after credit scene, I'm just glad some of them made it out.

.

On our next date: Let's mess up with the timeline, shall we?


	49. Chapter 49

Airu Suzaki was tired of this crap.

On one hand, it was always nice getting a far clearer picture of why everyone supposedly wanted her to die and stuff. But with it came the understanding that no one really knew the complete story. Outside of the author maybe. Even then, these time shifts seem to be messing with things in ways that can't quite be predicted by either him or even us.

Which brings us to our situation at hand. Trapped in what looks to be an order facility with her wife and teammates,

"Thanks, I guess?" Lobomon taunted and turned his attention to the group. "Hand her over and I'll be on my merry way."

Cho shot their opponent a glance.

"Then what will you do with our daughter?" the baker whispered, getting a glare from their opponent.

"I'll put her out for the misery and then take down the rest of these assholes." Lobomon explained and focused on Airu. He went for a swing of the leg, getting pushed away by her.

"You alright, Sugar?" Cho called out, getting a nod. "Good to hear."

Inside their heads however, a variety of questions seemed to be ready to give the couple all sorts of trouble. Stuff about the idea of having a child or at the very least, adopting one made up the bulk of it. That was followed by the act itself and then just the general idea of how they would even raise such a child. Especially one that could easily turn into a full-on hellblazer of many worlds like Julie.

But now was not the greatest time to dwell on those sorts of questions. No, they needed to do something about this weirdly-dressed guy and get some sense in their daughter.

**Lobo Kendo!**

The man swung his blade down, forcing Parasimon to dodge. While the spider wanted to retaliate, possessing someone leaves little options.

"Security!" 'Julie' screeched, signaling the arrival of what appeared to be a bunch of nameless grunts. Who were quite confused when they found not just a bunch of people in lab coats, but also a weird-looking wolf dude as well. Nor did that explain the lack of firearms or anything with actual firepower. "Deal with him!"

**Lobo Kendo!**

Lobomon just sliced them in half. Not that it was a big deal, since they were of the nameless, faceless variety.

"I'm not sure what outcome you expected to come from that." their opponent taunted and let a smile form on his partially-exposed face. "Now, let me repay all that pain you brought to us."

This time, he was successful in grabbing hold of 'Julie' and slamming them into the wall. Parasimon somehow managed to stay on.

"Ugh…" 'Julie' muttered, the world spinning around her.

**Maverick!**

Astamon slammed her foot into the wolfman, knocking him away from Julie. Ryouma followed behind, waiting for the moment to strike. When she did, it was strangling time.

While they were doing that, Airu was flinging bear traps out and Ren was throwing out a mix of explosives. It was mostly dynamite sticks, but he did have a few flash bangs just in case.

**Howling Laser!**

Lobomon shot forth a beam of energy, knocking his opponents to the ground. He then licked his lips and revealed a set of sharp canines. What followed, was him getting down on his knees and looking over Julie. Before he had a chance to really do anything to her, a bear trap managed to snap down on his feet. This resulted in him hopping up and down in pain and stepping on a second bear trap. Then a third. A fourth, maybe even fifth in one go.

"Stop that!" Lobomon screamed and flipped the trapper off. But all that seemed to get him was a shrug. Which just made him more angry. Not that there really was that much more to be angry about at this point. I guess you could get angry that all their bases look the same. Like seriously, who in their right mind paints everything white? It isn't that nice of a color and shows all the stains.

"If you want her dead so badly, take me instead." Airu taunted and stood up, helping her wife up in the process. Once she was up, the baker joined her. Triceramon came next and looked more than ready to impale the monster. Astamon and Ryouma were next in line, with the trio of Ren, Yasyamon and Sella bringing up the rear. "Sure, she isn't the nicest person or the most deserving of such an honor, but she's family. If you want, go through all of us."

But all that seemed to get was laughter.

"Let me tell you something," Lobomon countered and pointed his blade towards Airu. "I had a family too. Do you know what happened to them? They were fed to the dogs, left to rot under the digital sun. My 'friends'? They were taken here to be experimented on. We were her fucking puppets, thrown out when our use was at an end."

That got him an eye roll.

"And your point is?" Airu answered, letting out a deep breath. "Yes, the woman behind us, my daughter for lack of a better word is an absolute monster. But that does not mean she cannot change."

Carefully, Parasimon released his control from his host. Mostly so Julie could hear her mother's words, but also to cool down a tiny bit. Yeah, that was probably it.

"How noble of you." Lobomon muttered and pulled his blade back, swinging it towards Airu. "Do you know how many bodies that were scorched in their conquests? How many good people were lost in the crossfire? All the brave people that deserved a far better fate than the one they were delivered by these fuckers?!"

Airu herself just let her bear trap do the work. It was effective, allowing for Cho to slam her halberd down as well.

"While we do not know the full extent of Julie's crimes, that is her problem. Not ours." Cho explained, sighing as calmly as she could. "But like my wife said, there is still time to change."

But all her words did was just make the wolfman madder.

"You will die now, all of you. And I was going to let you live too."

**Chaos Field!**

A ball of energy seemed to form in front of Lobomon's mouth, threatening to render everything our heroes hold dear nonexistent. Or in other words, a sequence break.

"Di-"

But this was not the end for our heroes, since Parasimon decided to just shock their opponent. Which had the added effect of trapping Lobomon.

"Ruff." the spider whispered, watching Julie's bindings fall to the ground. Carefully, the order leader pulled herself up and reluctantly, handed it over to her mother.

"As much as I hate to say it (or want to admit it), but I owe you one." Julie muttered, only to find herself within Airu and Cho's arms. "Hey…"

She got some chuckling from her parents.

"Can't we give you a little love?"

Julie shook her head.

"No." she muttered, only to find Airu and Cho refusing to accept that answer. "Hey. I'm technically older than you guys."  
"So what? We're still your mothers, Honey." Cho remarked and got a groan from Julie, though she at least now had her phone back.

"Really?" the order leader remarked, getting a smile in return.

"Well… Airu is Sugar. So you can be my Honey." the baker explained and watched her daughter's face turn a bright shade of red.

_Hunt Complete!_

"This is probably goodbye now." Airu started and turned her attention to Julie. "I wish that whatever path you so choose, that you understand the consequences that go along with it."

Julie gave a nod, watching them fade away.

Back in the real world, work had finished on the stage and the performers were getting ready. A moonlit sky hung over everything, casting it in a mix of darkness and yet pale light.

"We did it. Somehow." the trapper continued as their attention turned to the performance itself - which turned out to be a wedding for the main couple. It was a full-blown affair, just with pirates and retirement plans. It was kind of awesome to watch. Just a bit cheesy.

"Yeah." Ren whispered and turned his attention to the couple. "Hopefully, that will be the last major change you two will have to face."

"Yeah…" Cho whispered and got a chuckle from her wife. "Though, that just leaves more opportunities for you to become a full-on princess."

That remark got them a groan from the bomber, followed by a chuckle.

"True."

Their attention then focused on the performance. While it was not the greatest show (Airu and Cho would've rather gone to one of those precure shows), it was still quite enjoyable. They didn't see the first pair of Alice and Elena, so I guess that means they've been whisked away to another land. Oh well.

Baste and Cha-Cha were singing one more song. Something pop-related.

* * *

Notes:

Not as much of a sequence break as more of a change in the timeline. But the phrasing works nicely here.

.

On our next date: We check in on Julie and stuff. Nothing should've gone wrong or changed. Right?


	50. Looking forward

I don't own digimon.

'Julie' Enoshima wasn't sure what to think in this particular moment.

On one hand, being trapped in what looked to be polaroid hell didn't sound half bad. Though, she wasn't quite sold on having a copy with her.

"What?" the other julie remarked, watching the original look her over. "For now at least, there needs to be two of us. You could just call me Mint, Honey."

A groan, followed by a left hook.

"Just because she called me that once doesn't make it my name now." Julie countered as her hair took on a bit of a green tone. I kind of like it, even if it is weird to see it change in real time like that.

Whatever the case, our unlucky pair turned away from each other and towards the provided swan boat. So the duo made their way over and got in.

"Ready to do this?" Mint remarked, getting another groan. "The sooner you get done with this, the faster you won't have me up in your ear."

Julie didn't answer, instead choosing to paddle forward. She probably took the statement at face value or something. Whatever the case, the first blast of light came not that long after.

"Now what?" the order leader announced as the pair found themselves in the Suzaki's kitchen, where our main duo was talking to Yukio. Which didn't explain Airu's new look. Instead of the regular adult woman, something akin to Baste and Cha-Cha but colored pink had taken her place. "Wonderful. My mom has a robot catgirl fetish."

Mint shot her a look.

"Which is somehow better than your murder and despair fetish because?" the clone remarked and got no answer. "Trying to compensate something are we?"

Julie slapped her for that, letting her attention turn to her mothers and grandmother. While they didn't seem to notice either of them, it felt odd to just be standing here in the first place. So she let her attention turn to the conversation going on at the moment. Which was ignoring a far bigger question. But will probably swing around to that.

"You want to have a proper child?" Youko remarked, watching her daughter give a nod. "I do hope you understand how difficult such a process would be."

Airu and Cho nod.

"You were able to do it, even in your digimon form." Airu countered, getting a sigh in return. "It shouldn't be that much harder, right?"

That got her a look from her mom.

"How do you plan to even impregnate yourself or Cho?"

Silence, followed by the baker looking towards her wife. In retrospect, this would work if both of them were actually human or close to it.

"We could just adopt, Sugar?" Cho suggested, watching Airu shift her attention to their wedding photo.

"Yuck." Julie muttered, focusing on the photo itself. While the couple's wedding photo looked unchanged from their initial wedding, someone had added a couple extra ones to the fridge. They appeared to be Hinoka in her robes with Ryouma was sitting in her lap, dressed up in her Hina-Ichigo costume. She looked quite cute in it, with the widest smile the two had ever seen. "Aww…" Mint whispered, looking her sister over. While the magenta tint she had now was not what she would've gone for, it looked nice. Though, I guess this was something she could get used to.

Back in the scene, it would seem the pair was making up their minds. Or something. They got up and told their mom something or other. Neither girl was really paying attention. Which made it all for the better when they were ejected out and brought back to the swan boat.

"Well that was wonderful." Mint remarked and began paddling. Of course, Julie wasn't having any of it. She shot her clone a look, but decided against actually doing anything.

"You just like seeing me suffer, don't you?" Julie muttered as they headed on. While the diorama of the scene came right after, someone had taken the time to include them in it. But neither really spent that long on it. So they continued paddling.

The next scene came not that long after, brought forth by another flash of light.

"Not again."

This time, our pair found themselves eavesdropping in an office. The only source of furniture takes the form of a desk with three chairs. One behind the desk, two in front. In this case, a man sits behind the desk while their mothers sit in front. For once, the pair have gone for outfits that would work in a professional environment. And by that, we mean a pair of skirt suits and heels. Purple for Airu and pink for Cho. Maybe not entirely professional. But you get the point.

"They almost look like you." Mint joked, a snarl serving as her answer. "I meant that as a compliment."

Julie still rolled her eyes, focusing in on the pair right after.

"For the moment, we have no children available to your sort." the man explained, only for both women to look at each other. A nod follows.

"When will a child become available?" Airu remarked, getting a look from the man in return. "I'll take that as a no, then."

She got up, her wife following right after.

"Serves them right." Julie muttered, not even trying to hide her smile. "Good job random person for keeping my parents from adopting!"

Mint rolled her eyes and slapped her sister. Then she followed it up by grabbing hold and dragging Julie along.

"Oh. Good to see that you don't want to exist." the clone continued, feeling a lantern form at Julie's side.

They continued on, finding themselves in another office. Then another. And another.

I think you get the point.

While their mother's outfits were all the same, it was never the same person. The personalities of those they met seemed to greatly vary. Some were on the softer side, receptive of the couple's wishes but were not entirely sure how exactly they were able to help them. Others were less so, almost intent on mocking them for bringing up such a possibility. To say it was disheartening would be underselling the feelings held by the couple. It felt like a slap to the face that never seemed to end, with relief just giving way to just another slap.

"We'll find a way, Cho." Airu whispered as they exited the latest office of the bunch. While this one had seemed hopeful, they were unable to come through for them.

"Maybe it would be best to look into different options?" Cho suggested, watching her wife's gaze swing back around. "We could try impregnating me, Sugar."

Her answer caught both Airu and their daughters by surprise. Not because it was a bad idea, but more of the matter of who exactly they would need to go through and the steps involved.

"Do you get it now?" Mint continued, finally setting her sister down. "I do hope you understand."

Julie rolled her eyes. I'm staring to suspect that no amount of flashbacks is going to get through her plastic-coated skull. Which makes her sparing almost a pointless thought on the part of my creator. He believed in second chances. I wonder what he would think of you wasting yours?

"Why the fuck does it matter to you?" the order leader countered. "You're nothing mo-"  
Before she had a chance to finish that wonderful sentence of hers, the pair were whisked back to the swan boat. Another one of those dioramas had been set up, a very long one to be exact.

"Kinda pointless when we're the only two that might ever see it." Julie muttered and got laughter from our narrators. So she slammed a foot into the floor of the boat. Not that it had quite the impact she desired. Especially when her body was taking on an ethereal state. Nonetheless, the pair continued paddling.

"What do you think so far, Honey?" Mint continued as the next flash occured. Julie let out a groan as the room came into view. A sterile room was their destination. This one had the advantage of at least going with an wallpaper pattern of flower petals and a white tile floor. It was automatically better than most of the order bases, even that weird castle thing now that I think about it. Unlike the past couple places, we find an additional person with our pair. They took the form of Ren. Unlike his usual appearances, he is dressed not in his princess attire but instead a pinafore dress. It looks quite nice on him.

"This is crazy." he whispers, giving Airu a nod. "Hopefully this works out."

Their attention turns to Cho.

At the moment, the baker was laying in a hospital bed. Her belly was quite large.

"Something wrong, Sugar?"

Airu shook her head. She followed it up with a bit of a sigh, letting her gaze turn back to Cho.

"It's just so surreal to be here."

Cho gave a nod, which came right as the doctor came in.

"Miss Hokai, we're going to be with you." they explain, getting a nod in return. What follows, is the actual birthing process itself.

As it would turn out, the whole birthing process involves a bunch of pushing by way of the mother. Eventually, a pair of babies popped out.

"What did we decide their names would be, Cho?" Airu inquired as she and Ren turned their attention to the baker.

"Honey, Sugar." Cho answered, leaning in to give her wife a kiss. "You had wanted to name them Ai and Chi for some reason. "

Airu gave a nod, letting a smile form on her face. Looking back, it was probably best that they named her that. Even though it was not of Japanese origin, it added to the charm.

While their parents and what I guess would be their godfather look their new bundles of life over, our unlucky pair was brought back to their swan boat.

"So that's what happened." Julie whispered as pain surged through her head. She tried to push it out, only for what she thought she knew to change on her. To say she felt like a complete idiot would possibly be an understatement. That's beyond the point.

"Honey, are you alright?" Mint inquired, watching her sister give a nod. "Good. I knew that this would do it."

Honey shot her a look.

Then it was time to paddle on. They didn't look to the latest diorama. Instead, they picked their paddling speed up a notch. It brought with it memories of a time long gone - first steps, first words and of course, their favorite cure.

"Cure Strawberry is still the best cure of Fruity." Honey claimed and watched Mint shake her head.

"No, Lime had a far better redemption arc." Mint countered as they were swept up in another flash of light.

The next scene coincidentally, took place back at home. Their mothers were there, along with Ren. He was joined by a second man. Though, they had gone for more of a magical girl look. On closer inspection, their outfit consisted of a pink top with an attached petal skirt. White tights covered his legs, while a pair of pink high heel boots covered his feet. At least we now know where our bomber swings when it comes to people. Even Ryouma had taken the time to see them.

"It's all right, Honey." Cho cooed as she and Airu took a step forward.

But it wasn't all sunshine and lollipops. A cocoon of light had appeared around Honey, bringing with it all sort of excitement and dread for their mothers. When it disappeared, a ghostly version of their initial daughter took its place. Which freaked Honey out and sent her packing.

"Wait up, sis!" Mint announced, not even waiting for any instructions from either her parents or grandparents. In that moment, all that mattered was finding her sister. "I don't think you're a monster!"

If Honey had even heard her, I doubt it was enough to sway her mind. If anything, she probably saw it as an insult of sorts. Not the best move when it came down to it.

"What do we have here?"

Mint turned around, finding a woman towering over her. She was dressed in what looked to be a violet lolita getup. Black opera gloves decorated with a bit of gold leaf covered both arms and hands, only further enhanced by the diamond ring around her left finger. A pair of butterfly swords clearly hung at her sides, recently sharpened for a coming battle. She probably would've put them in her heels, if they didn't catch on her white stockings or the shoes itself.

That wasn't even getting into her head of black hair with a gold crown in it, or her violet eyes and those purple lips.

"Why hello there little one." the woman announced, picking Honey up. "This must seem like an awful nightmare. It isn't, for the record."

Honey gave this strange woman a confused glance. None of this was making sense. But at the same time, it seemed so clear.

"You… you…" she started and got a chuckle. "You bitch. You did this to me!"

The woman shook her head.

"All I've done is be at the perfect place to find you." the woman explained. "I think a playdate is in order. You can call me Victoria, by the way."

That only seemed to make Honey even madder. She tried to bite down into one of Victoria's arms, only to realize she didn't have anything in the way of teeth. So she tried scratching. That worked slightly better, though that wasn't saying much. Especially when both Mint and both of their mothers came rushing over.

"Give her back, you big bully!" Mint screeched and charged forward, oblivious to the warnings of both her mothers.

The result was not the one that she wanted or expected. Instead of Mint getting her ass royally handed to her, Victoria knelt down and stopped the young girl.

"We both know that this cycle of pain and despair needs to end. No progress can be made looking into the same places in the hopes of finding something different." the black cat explained, following it up with a deep breath. "Is that clear?"

Mint nodded, watching this woman turn her attention to Airu and Cho.

"I would like to propose a compromise with you two." Victoria continued and watched the pair approach. "As much as I would like to take both your children, I would like to eventually hire both of them."

Airu made a bear trap appear, while Cho pulled out her halberd. They pointed their weapons towards this supposed threat, only to get a look in return.

"And what if we refuse?" the trapper remarked, only for a butterfly sword to be placed quite close to her daughter's neck. "Point taken."

The butterfly sword was sheathed, bringing the focus back on them.

"At least will be together, sis." Honey whispered as they were engulfed in light. This time, they found themselves in a bed of all places. "Ugh..."

The room in question appeared to be that of a villa. While the walls could use some painting, they were overall in good shape. A mostly intact rug covered the floor, with their kind and gracious host awaiting them.

Still dressed the same as always. If it works, continue wearing it? Or something like that.

"Time to get to moving, girls." Victoria explained, taking a deep breath right after. "Could one of you call your mom, by any chance?"

* * *

Notes:

These sort of chapters are always fun to write.

.

On our next date: We got ourselves an ambush.


	51. Ambushed for the 'greater good'

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Once the performance and the concert wrapped up, our heroes made their exit.

"What did you think of the performance, Cho?" Airu remarked, watching the baker focus back on her.

"I enjoyed it, Sugar." Cho whispered and took a deep breath. "I'm just thinking about her."

Airu nodded, letting her mind wander that way. But something didn't gel right. Before she really had a chance to debate it, her phone rang.

"Yes?" she whispered, only to get some snickering from two people. "Honey?"

The snickering stopped

"Mint here as well." her other daughter announced as Airu gave her wife a slight tap.

"Yeah." Airu remarked and took a deep breath. "Here's Cho, though."

She passed the phone to Cho.

"Been a while, you two." Cho whispered as she stared into the screen, revealing a green haired girl in a victorian-style maid dress. Her body seemed to glow a purplish magenta color, with a lantern of sorts just floating there. Finishing off the look, was a pair of cute dark pink eyes. A blond hair girl stood beside her. She too was dressed like her sister.

"Is there a good time for me to visit?" Honey remarked and watched her parents freeze up. "Is this not a good time?"

"Yeah…" Airu remarked, taking another deep breath. "Could we call you back tomorrow?"

"Of course." Honey answered and ended the call. Which for some reason, brought up the analyzer screen as Cho handed it back.

_Loading entry..._

_Scanning..._

**Fitchiemon**

**Champion, Virus**

**Special Moves: Mist Claw, Toxic Sweep**

**.**

**Airu: Huh… I guess that worked out**

**Cho: Yeah.**

**Airu: She does look kind of like us. Even if we're not**

_Scan Complete._

With that now out of the way, the two made their way towards the door of their room. But before they had a chance to slide the key in and get some rest, Airu's digivice rang. Again. Hopefully, it isn't a telemarketer.

"Now who?" the trapper remarked, taking a deep breath as she held the phone back up. "Yes?"

"Hello Mrs Suzaki, this is Victoria Arcana." the voice announced, bringing with it a bit of confusion on the part of both the trapper and her wife. "I was the one who took your daughter in?"

"Yeah." Airu answered as their gaze focused on Mrs Arcana. "What do you need?"

"I would actually like to meet with you two."

This would probably be a good time to leave the country, change your names and hope to god she doesn't find you.

"Just ignore my sister-in-law." Victoria continued, her picture seeming to give off a sense of power over the two. "There's some stuff we need to talk about. In person. I'll be there in a couple days."

With that, she hung off. Which was probably for the best in Airu and Cho's case.

"I guess that cuts our vacation short." Airu muttered.

Their attention turned to their teammates. While they seemed the same as before, it was still too early to make a judgement. So they kept mum on the subject.

Their destination was a nearby hotel, which meant traversing across the island at night. During the day, things looked normal enough, but now… the island of wyverns and nekomata had a bit of a dark edge to it. Hard edges lit only by lantern light, while wyverns and their companions seemed not to mind. If anything, the dark just focused the noise and made it louder.

That didn't stop any of them from pushing on towards their destination.

"Are we sure this is the place?" Triceramon remarked and looked towards the door, debating within if she was big enough to even fit through. Hopefully, it was.

"It's the only place that remotely looks like one." Ren remarked as everyone's attention turned to the building itself. While only standing at a single story, it made up for it in the length department. Even if they couldn't quite see it just yet.

Inside, the marble architecture of the exterior continued on. But had also been interrupted by the inclusion of drywall. That was probably for the better, since the color of the marble in question (tan) was a bit off. The generic fountains and couches did wonders in distracting from it. Outside of that stuff, what looked to be a naga was manning the front desk. While they weren't really dressed in a fashion that was would suggest receptionist, the upper half of its face covered in permafrost.

What looked to be a yak was getting stuff ready with the help of a human assistant. A couple appeared to be reading the newspaper, being joined by an older man and his possible son. A pair of housekeepers were hard at work, dusting a bird statue holding an idol. It was your typical hotel environment. Nothing out of sort at all.

"Both queens told us of your arrival." the receptionist explained and shifted her head to focus on them. Though, I'm not entirely sure if they were really focusing per a say. "Here are your keys."

Airu approached the 'receptionist', cracking a smile when she got there.

"Thank you." Airu remarked and rejoined her wife. Next up was Ryouma, who was having a little trouble getting up.

"A little help here?" the doll announced, getting a bit of a helpful tail up. "Thank you."

The naga gave a nod and handed the key over. The streak was broken by Yasyamon, who decided to throw a bokken towards the snake. Something tells me that wasn't a good idea. At all.

"We had even meant you guys no harm too." a boy remarked, popping out from behind the desk with what looked to be a beyblade launchers. "I guess you guys made your choice."

"Beyblade?" Airu remarked, slightly confused by the latest babble from the narrators. "You mean those weird spinning top things?"

Yeah. Is that a problem?

Airu shook her head, bringing forth a bear trap into her hands. While her own favorite series - Precure sat on the more obscure side of things, it was least popular a majority of the time in Japan. In all seriousness, when was the last time you heard someone confidently talk about Beyblade? Well, outside of how awesome Metal Fusion's english opening is. I could probably listen to it for days on end. Though I suspect my wife would probably stop me from doing that.

Nonetheless, this mystery man launched out his top. Which caught the naga's attention and made her decide to charge right towards our heroes. In response to that, Cho pulled her halberd out.

**Frost-Make: Shards!**

Icicles shot forth from the naga's hand, only to be countered with a fireball.

Carefully, Cho grabbed hold of her opponent's body and let the scorching flames do the rest of the work. But her opponent was having none of that. No, she was invested in what was supposed to be a nice chat and stuff, that had somehow turned into a makeshift brawl.

**Gun Art: Precision Shot!**

What looked to be a cartoon bullet made its way towards the two, forcing at least one of them to duck. Which turned out to be the naga, forcing Cho to let go and forced her to send out a couple fireballs as a precaution.

"Need some help?" Airu called out and got a nod from her wife in return. Carefully, she flung another bear trap out and whistled. This seemed to get their opponent's attention, dropping what looked to be one of those weird

"Oh!" the naga announced and ran over the bear trap, getting its tail caught in the process.

**Cooking: Sizzle!**

The air temperature in the room seemed to rise, bringing sweat and discomfort for nearly all of its occupants.

**Hellfire!**

In response to that, Astamon set her gun to full auto and just closed her eyes. Bullets erupted forth from the weapon, forcing those to duck even further or risk dying from gunfire. Surprisingly, a couple of them were willing (possibly far too much) to just risk it. Though that could be the result of Astamon being a bit rusty and just not exactly looking at where she was aiming. You know, simple common sense stuff that you expect most of these people to understand. Like seriously, what movies has one seemed where the guy with the heavy weapon just closes their eyes and hope to god that their shots somehow hit their targets? None and there is a good reason for that.

**Gun Art: Bla-**

**Maverick!**

Before her opponent had a chance to really fire off another blast, Astamon got a kick in. Which gave the older man a chance to get up and clear his throat. He was dressed in standard green military gear from the US army. A pumpkin shaped badge was stitched over the left pocket for some reason.

"Attention!" the man announced and everyone that wasn't part of Airu's group stopped what they were doing and stood up straight.

His gaze then focused on Yasyamon, who was not really in the listening mood at the moment.

"You."

Yasyamon stepped forward and took a swing. But he seemed to be lacking in the speed department, since his opponent reached him far quicker than he expected him too. What followed was a bit of a grab, with the photographer finding himself up in the air.

"My name is Uncle Sam." the man continued and dropped his opponent. "I am the Sergeant of this troop. If you were one of my men, I would snap you in half."

But Yasyamon went for the slap. He didn't get there. At all. If anything, he probably made their situation even worse. But that's just our opinion.

"I would use this night to think about your actions, soldier." the pair added and turned their attention to the group. "Maybe even make an apology for the trouble you caused."

He got a groan in return, the general choosing to sit down. Which let our heroes head onward.

"I guess these are the rooms." Sella whispered as they took the longer portion of the hotel in. Compared to the front lobby, it felt far more serene. Pink marble replaced the tan, while stucco took the place of drywall. Four rooms had been neatly placed side-by-side, with more than enough room for someone Triceramon to lay about. That and it didn't have any ambushes.

"Well, goodnight." Ryouma called out and made her way towards her room, Astamon following right behind.

"You too." Ren added as he dragged Yasyamon over.

* * *

Notes:

And we have the After Crew. Been a while since any of them have seen action (well first time for A03). While there was plans for an additional chapter, they fell through. It would've involved Team Evergreen (first time for them as well). Some day...

.

On our next date: He's a magical girl...


	52. Blossoming into a new relationship

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Conflicted.

Out of all the words Ren could possibly use to describe how he felt right now, this one summarized it the best.

Sure, the bomber enjoyed wearing regal dresses and everything else that came with being a princess. But, when it came to an actual say of when to wear such outfits or alternate options, there was none. It was always Yasyamon's choice, never his. Sure, he managed to get a single princess dress of his own and the mermaid suit, but that was it.

"I'm going out." Ren announced, taking a deep breath as he headed towards the door. While the room was nice by hotel standards, there were other things on his mind. Especially after staring at that stupid wall for over an hour. So he made a quick glance towards his partners. Currently, they were taking up the sole mattress. He had wanted that bed, but no. He got the short end of the stick and was going to be sleeping on the futon. Why did the chameleon digimon need to sleep on the bed anyhow? Was this how it was before his parents died? He wasn't quite sure.

So our resident bomber made his exit. Probably should've locked the door as well. Don't want anyone to be spying on you. Am I right?

"No comment." Ren muttered as he closed the door behind him.

Outside, things were mostly quiet on Nekove. Even with the clicking of his heels on the pavement, Ren managed to maintain a level of elegance expected of a royal.

"Where to go?" he thought and gazed around the general area. For the most part, not a soul was out in town, with some lights left on. Which begs an interesting question. What exactly is powering the island. While I would say wind,, there's probably a bit of solar as well. Very well, hidden solar power.

But outside of that, the only real activity seemed to be occurring on the beach. While the concert was long done and all the stuff had been loaded up, it should've been empty. I guess this was not the case this time.

"It's better than nothing."

Carefully, he made his way over, making sure to not get any sand in his garments. That would really make Yasyamon pissed and get the bomber a scolding. Just being out here at this time was more than enough to get one anyway.

"He has me around his finger." the bomber muttered, letting out a sigh. "He doesn't let me have a job, I'm only allowed to have one personal dress and everything else I have has to be managed by him."

Carefully, he slammed a heel against a small rock. While it went quite a ways, it didn't feel all that satisfying. If anything, he was running the risk of ruining this particular outfit even more and getting even more scoldings from his partner. But right now, he didn't want to think about that. No, his attention was solely focused on the beach and it's current occupants. As he got closer, Ren made another glance in that general direction.

Some girl dressed in a weird-looking dress and high heel boots was sparring against a group of creatures. While they were dressed in a similar fashion to their master, they didn't seem so keen on the look. Please don't tell this is who I think this is.

"Huh." he whispered and carefully approached, making sure to push any thoughts of his partner to the back of his mind for the moment.

"Hi there!"

Of course, it would seem that the 'girl' had found him first. Though, that could just be the result of him hearing the narrators and getting curious. Dang protagonists and their really good hearing. Or is this the result of something else?

"Yeah…" Ren answered and stared towards his newfound friend. While they looked feminine, something about them said otherwise. So he looked over the outfit.

On closer inspection, the 'magical girl's' outfit consisted of a pink top with an attached petal skirt. White tights covered his legs, while a pair of pink high heel boots covered his feet. Long white hair had been tied into a ponytail, going quite well with their blue eyes. A bulge was just visible. But only from certain angles.

"Wait, You're a guy?"

That got him a nod, which his acquaintance followed up with a curtsy.

"I'm Blossom." the magical girl explained and focused on Ren. "What's your name?"

"Ren." the bomber answered, giving Blossom's outfit what appeared to be the third glance so far. "What's with the outfit?"

Blossom cracked a smile.

"These are the kind of clothes I like." he explained, getting a look from of his opponents. After, he turned his attention to Ren. "How about you? I'm guessing princess dresses are your sort of jam?"

He got a bit of a giggle, followed by a nod.

"At first, it was my least favorite thing." the bomber continued, letting his gaze fall to the ground. "But the more I wore them, the more I came to love them. But, I feel like I'm being shoved into a place that I don't want to be."

Blossom seemed to focus even harder on the boy. Which brought with it the attention of his companions.

"There you are." a voice called out and the pair turned around, finding a large brown rabbit anthro standing before them. She had a plush-like appearance, with quite apparent stitching lines. Balls of cotton covered her ears, looking quite dirty for some reason. Like Blossom, she was dressed in a similar outfit. Only hers was blue and lacked the tights. That didn't explain why she was taller than both boys.

"Ren, this is Flora." Blossom explained and turned to the rabbit. "Sorry about abandoning you gals."

He made a heart symbol with his hands and got a sigh in return.

"Fine." Flora answered, kneeling down to be at Ren's level. "Would you like to meet the rest of us and maybe talk about your problem?"

The bomber examined the rabbit, coming to the

"Sure." Ren answered and turned his attention to his magical girl friend. Who at the moment, was in the middle of a jump pump. "He's cute."

He wasn't sure what it was, but something about the boy made him want to know more.. Maybe it was the outfit, or his pleasant attitude. Whatever it may be, it was a nice change from Yasyamon's usual attitude. The bomber could actually get used to this.

"Want to make this a date?" Ren suggested and watched both Blossom and Flora stop in their tracks. They mumbled something to each other, possibly unsure of what to make of his suggestion. Not that he really minded, even if it was unregal for a princess of his stature.

"Uh…" Blossom started, getting a chuckle from his partner. "Where would we even go? Everything is closed at the moment."

Good point.

"Tea Party date then?" Ren suggested as he turned his focus to a little space off in the distance. There, a nice blanket had been set out with a bunch of large pokemon plushies. Heck, they even had a fresh pot of tea with the cubes of sugar and some cute little muffins. "It would seem that your friends agree."

Flora let out a nervous chuckle and whispered something into Blossom's ear. The boy's face turned a bright shade of red and shifted slightly to the ground. Thankfully, it returned back to Ren.

"A tea party date it is." the magical boy explained and the two made their way over, looking for any signs of being watched. And as it turns out, they were. "Is that a friend of yours?"

Ren took a deep breath and focused on where his date was pointing. There, his partner awaited. He didn't look happy at all.

"What do you think you're doing?" the photographer muttered, letting the two boys gaze upon his face. "I thought I raised you better than this,  _my_  little princess."

For some reason, the tone of the photographer's voice changes. No more masculinity, all femininity now. Or something like that. They charge forward, taking the full-on blast of a flashbang.

Ren charged forward, only for Blossom to put a hand on him.

"Can I help you with this?" the magical boy continued and watched Ren look away for a second. Then it was back to Blossom. A nod followed, which got the bomber scooped up bridal-style. Which came right as Yasyamon got himself back up. So two charged at each other.

"Is that all I am to you?!" Ren screamed and slapped a gloved hand across Yasyamon's face, only to watch it shatter. "Your little prince-"

But our pair found themselves staring down the face of a girl, possibly the true princess of this still unnamed kingdom.

"Enough." 'Yasyamon' whispered and kicked Blossom, which brought Ren tumbling down. "I made that up so you would follow me. Now come with me, R-"

Before she had a chance to really act on that, a rock came their way and everything went dark.

When their vision was returned to them, our heroes found themselves staring down a woman with similar white hair to Blossom's.

"Hi mom." Blossom greeted.

* * *

Notes:

At this point, it should be obvious that no one was keeping track of what I was doing. For better or worse.

.

On our next date: We meet ourselves a whale. It makes sense, trust me.


	53. Chapter 53

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Aqua Luli was used to having weird stuff happen to her.

Sometimes, it was a constant like your husband fancying himself as a housewife. Or how about the time that some random cactus thing crashed what was supposed to be a siege on a floating island base? Truly wonderful times for all involved. And that's not even getting into the psychotic pink cat. Though, how have have you been holding up?

The trainer took a deep breath, her gaze shifting to the ground.

"Just tell me they'll be in a better place." she whispered, an answer coming right after. "It's better than nothing, I guess."

A deep breath follows as a fist slammed into a wall. If anything, we don't blame her. Some things aren't meant to be. And they just weren't.

"It's been a while." Aqua continued as she turned her attention to her son and his date. "I should ground you, but I suspect that your return was not intentional. How about your friend here?"

Ren took a deep breath and found everyone's focus solely on him.

"We were about to have a tea party date. Until she over there…" the bomber started and pointed over to 'Yasyamon', "...decided that she was the only one who could ever have me or something."

Yasyamon rolled her eyes, letting her attention focus in on the room that contained them for the moment.

Currently, they found themselves in what served as the master bedroom. Even with the bed, dresser and handful of plushies, their usually quite a bit of room to move around and do stuff. Which was a good thing. But not today. If anything, it would serve as an obstacle in all of of this.

"I guess just make yourself comfortable." the trainer muttered and let her attention focus in on the bed. "Time to wake up, Flower. We have guests."

Slowly, a woman poked their head out and turned their attention to the guest. She appeared to be dressed in a light blue nightgown and a bit on the plump side. But not too much.

"A kiss, please." the woman remarked and watched Aqua groan. So the trainer pulled the covers back and met the lips of her significant other. It probably felt weird, mostly because one of them was expecting something different.

"Is that better?" she muttered and got a squeal in return.

"Of course, honey." Flower answered and got up, finally noticing what had happened to them. "Whoo! I'm a real housewive now!"

For some reason, this made the former seal 'thing' absolutely giddy and they began to dance about. It was kind of awkward and kind of cute.

"Uh..." Ren started, only to catch a glance from Yasyamon. "Not a word."

"Says the boy in a princess dress." his partner countered and found Ren glaring at her. While neither was quite on the best footing, that wouldn't stop Blossom from trying.

"Ren told me you had a falling out, want to tell me about it?" the magical boy explained, only for Yasyamon to take a swing. She missed.

"I don't take shit from boys in frilly dresses who prance around, trying to spread positive message about how friendship is all you need to save the da-" Before she had a chance even finish that truly wonderful sentence, Blossom decked her. Which caught his own mother by surprise. Though that could be attributed to her having absolutely little to do with her own son's development.

"Personally, I wouldn't take orders on how I should live my life from a woman who needs someone to control at their own personal servant, you demon."  
After Blossom said that, Ren got in a punch of his own. Which he then followed up with a slight kick to the groin.

"You too, huh?" Yasyamon muttered, only to find Flower facing her down. "Oh. Is the sissy housewife going to feed me an awful meal?"

The photographer found a huge bar of soap in their mouth that they most definitely deserved.

"Until you can speak like a normal person in this house, that bar of soap better stay in your mouth."

And with that, she finally left the room, which gave Aqua a moment to take a deep breath. Which let our two possible love birds to have their tea party.

"Want to see my room?" Blossom suggested and got a nod. What followed, was a short walk down the hall and into a room of similar size to Aqua's. Unlike his mother room, his had a smaller bed and a bunch more plushies. "Flora, you can join them for the moment."

Flora gave a nod, her body shrinking quite rapidly. Seconds later, all that seemed to remain of her was a small rabbit plush. From the looks of things, this particular group of plushies seemed to be most important to him.

"There you go." Blossom continued and set her down with the other plushies. After, he let his gaze focus in on Ren. "Welcome to my room."

Ren let out a chuckle.

"I like it." the bomber answered and turned his attention to Yasyamon. "How about you?"

But Yasyamon spit her soap back out and went for one of her bokkens.

"What is your problem?" Blossom remarked as Ren got onto his partner, trying to pull her down.. "Is this a control issue, or am I missing something?"

No answer. But his opponent did kick at the plushies. They then followed it up by slamming their bokkens into them.

"Stop!" Blossom screamed, pushing himself between Yasyamon and the stuffed animals. "Ren, could you help me here?"

He got a nod, with the bomber shifting from the back to the front of Yasyamon.

"Enough of this, your majesty." Ren shouted, only to notice the word rolling off his tongue a moment too late.

"I should cut that out too." Yasyamon countered and pulled her bokkens back. "Make both lives far simpler."

Could you kindly shut up? We get it. You don't like him. Would it be too hard to put up with people in this moment?

But Yasyamon only laughed.

"Maybe tell that to the emperor and all his lackeys." Yasyamon countered, only to hear the sound of a desk being knocked down. "So what if I jumped ship and made my life as a scammer. I'm a princess through and through."

Just… Shut up. You are so far ahead that it's actually frankly sad. Though, I guess that is to be expected from an underling who's bosses turned themselves into robots and then decided the best plan of action to be complete douches.

"Did you really have to bring that up?"'

Yes. We lost a lot of good friends that day. That isn't something that you can easily replace. It takes time.

Offscreen, both narrators took a moment of silence for their third narrator. It was the least they could do, outside of bringing Yasyamon to him to beat up. Now there was an idea, especially if we can get the other members in on it. But that's beyond the point.

While this was happening, one of the plushies began to glow with purple light. It quickly grew in size, taking on the appearance of alien queen bee plush thing. Fitting its title, it was dressed in a regal-looking magenta ballgown with multiple petticoats. Just barely, one could make out the stinger poking out of the dress.

"What do we have here?" the creature announced, letting it's purple lenses focus in on Yasyamon. "Oh. A creature that doesn't know when they have bit off more than they could chew."

It then made a clicking sound with it's mouth and charged towards the photographer. Though, it did catch the attention of some of the other plushies. Who were possibly getting ready to rise up and

"Miracle, nothing deadly." Blossom explained, giving the alien insect thing a look. It also got a look from Ren. If it helps, this could be far worse. You could also be having to deal with the crazy pink cat. She's the absolute worse. You would think that just a little catnip and maybe some toys would appease her. That would make sense. We can't have that in a world of male housewives and infinite universes. No, combat was all that could satisfy her. I do hope she's content with a life without it. Maybe they can go bother that guy with the rabbit? He would seem

"Of course, my queen." Miracle whispered back and opened its mouth up, letting forth a poisonous blast that soaked both Yasyamon.

"Do you get it now?" Miracle continued, letting their weird dragon wings carry them over to Yasyamon. "This our home. You will play by our rules. Understood?"

The opponent gave a nod, which coincided with a boulder smashing through the roof. Which makes one wonder what the boulder thrower was doing up until this point. It hasn't really been that long, so I guess they were waiting someone perhaps? It's a possibility.

"Everyone, outside now!" Aqua screamed, poking her head into her son's room. I guess their tea party would have to wait.

.

Mr Suzaki surveyed the area.

While it hadn't been his intention to get swept up to his place, it might make the job easier. Though, I'm not sold on the outfit. Are we sure plaid is in right now? Especially with that pattern?

"No comment." the 'carpenter' muttered, as a similar beauty walked up. "There you are. How was it?"

The 'beauty' flung a boulder his way. I guess that's everything you needed to know with these two.

* * *

Notes:

Is plaid really in or not? Yeah, that's a serious question here. A little angst, but oh well.

.

On our next date: Brawl in the sun, sounds like fun.


	54. Back so soon?

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

"Do you think I can get some help here?"

Before our heroes could even think about making their way to the living room, there was the matter of grabbing plushies for Blossom.

"Thanks." the magical boy explained and looked the pair over. Not counting Miracle, Ren was carrying Flora and what looked to be an owl plush of sorts. A very emo owl plush to be exact. Because why else would you need a hoodie and a bit of a death glare. "You probably shouldn't tell him that."

As for 'Yasyamon' here, she was stuck with an abominable crab plush who looked like they had took one punch too many and some sort of weird squid girl plush. Who were both dressed like Flora was.

"Just my luck." the photographer muttered and turned her attention to Blossom. Who currently had a trio of mole plushies. "Let me guess, there all your partners or something?"

A nod, followed by their host exiting the room. Ren and Yasyamon followed. But not without the photographer making a face to her 'servant'.

In the hallway itself, things weren't looking so hot. While the roof was at least intact in this particular area, it wouldn't take much to break through. That was on top of all the blob creatures that had decided that this was now their residence for some reason. Which just meant a whole bunch of in-fighting and verbal squabbles. Kind of like a certain pair we've been following for the past couple chapters.

Yasyamon gave the sky a glare and returned her gaze to Ren.

"Okay, I get it. I haven't been the nicest person to my partner" Yasyamon muttered. "Though, I wasn't lying about the whole kingdom and princess thing. Kinda."

Both boy's gazes swung on over, ignoring these new occupants.

"What parts exactly?" Ren countered as he flung a grenade further down the hall. It caught the attention of the creatures, who took the blast and went away. Not the strongest threat we've seen so far.

"By rule of succession and some other stuff, you're now the sole heir to an empire." Yasyamon continued. "The whole princess thing was because I thought Ren here was a girl for the longest time."

Huh… Are you really that blind under that mask? If you are, that's something you should have gotten rectified long before this point.

The photographer shook her head, a deep breath coming right after.

"My eyesight is quite good, thank you very much." she added and shifted where the plushies were on her body. That way, she could pull out her bokkens.

"Get back here!" one of the blobs announced, only to be hit by one of the practice blades. "No fair! You didn't show us such powers beforehand."

But Yasyamon didn't answer. Instead, she took a deep breath and followed her swing up by kicking these possible opponents into a nearby wall. It worked, even if it did make the other blobs even angrier. And made them want to attack the trio even more on top of that.

"Charge!" one of the blobs (possibly their leader) announced and ran forth. The creatures followed right behind, forcing everyone to step out of the way and let them out first. "Boo!"

But by that point, they were fully committed to this charge. If anything, letting them out was possibly even better for whatever they planned on doing right now.

"Sure it is." Aqua muttered and let her attention turn to her partner. She got a nod in return as her attention focused to her child. "Got your bracelet?"

Blossom held up his arm, revealing what looked to be a cross between a charm bracelet and some weird spy gadget.

"Good." Aqua answered, pulling out a blue glass ball. "I would stand back."

Ren and Yasyamon shot her a confused glance, but complied anyway. Which came right as another boulder flew on in. I think you get where this is goi-

Oh. Yasyamon just slashed the boulder apart. I guess that works too.

"How about I lend a hand?"

With that, Mr Suzaki made his entrance. I guess he thought his daughter would be there and was now having to deal with the fact she wasn't? Or something? It's really getting hard to know in this story. Especially whe

Whatever the case, he caught our heroes by surprise. He also brought his stupidly questionable sword with him as well. Wait. I think he might have been sucking it. Which is just gross. Also, is that a bikini poking out from that swimsuit of yours?

"Does it matter?" the swordsman announced and knocked Yasyamon to the ground. It would also seem that now was the moment that the poison did it's magic. Wonderful.

"Oh. What a shame." Miracle explained and flung what appeared to be an antidote over. Instead of Yasyamon gulping the concoction down, the vial shattered near him. "Feel better?"

The bee thing got what looked like a nod, but one couldn't quite be certain. She then followed with up with a giggle for some reason. Especially when Mr Suzaki made his exit.

"Uh… what's funny?" Yasyamon whispered and watched the 'armor' she had been wearing for so long melt away, which took the form of a cobalt kimono decorated with white petal decorations. A pair of the associated flip flops formed on her feet as what remained of her mask faded away, allowing for one to make out her yellow eyes and pale lips. Long red hair flowed down, styling itself into a long braid.

As mental changes went, there really wasn't much. Just a huge reminder that scamming people is bad and something about being a better person to your partner and their friends. Not as drastic as what happened to our friends earlier. But I guess it will do. Just leaves the matter of a proper name and stuff.

"Miki…" she thought and let her attention return to Ren. "I am Miki now. What are your orders, master?"

For a few seconds, Ren just stared towards his changed partner. After, he pulled his digivice and pointed it to her.

_Now scanning…_

_Loading Entry…_

**Yikomon**

**Ultimate, Vaccine**

**Special Moves: Slice & Command**

**.**

**Ren: I was kind of expecting those attacks to have a fancy attack, like Cho's maybe.**

**Miki: Is that disappointing, your highness?**

**Ren: Not at all.**

_Scan complete._

"You still have not answered my question." Miki continued and watched her 'mistress' take a deep breath.

"For the moment, make sure to keep an eye on whatever those things are." Ren whispered and pointed towards the horde of blobs intent on killing them. "Maybe even try and take some out."

Miki gave a nod and pulled both of her bokkens out. After, she charged forth and jumped into the air.

**Slice!**

She closed her eyes, letting her ears and nose do the work. A series of slashes and strikes followed, bringing with it many digi-eggs and injured digimon.

"It is done." the swordswoman whispered and returned to Ren's side. "How did I do?"

Her master gave a thumbs-up, which came at the same time as Aqua put the blue orb in.

Light surrounded her, giving her all sorts of orange lines on her body.

"Whoever is behind this, show yourself!"

A laugh echoed about, as what appeared to be a rock ram creature with a sprout growing from their head. Which I guess makes him their leader. Not that this particular time shift has any motive.

"I beg your pardon?" the creature countered and focused in on Ren. "This is a political assassination by way of the Raios Empire."

Off screen, both narrators gave each other a confused glance.

I think we've heard it all. How does killing a supposed princess of a fallen kingdom get you anything? Wouldn't you rather want to disgrace them instead?

"You have absolutely no idea how politics work, do you?" the rock creature remarked, letting his attention shift to Aqua Luli. "Though, killing a legendary pokemon works just as well in our book. Wait. Are we allowed to call them pokemon here?"

Offscreen, Sachiko shot her wife a glance. While the author had kind of forgotten to inform her about this part of the massively complicated mess that made up the digitalverse, it might have been for the better. Especially after what had happened to the people who were supposed to be fixing it. Shame that they're gone now, broken and twisted into something that wasn't quite them. It wasn't meant to be. There's no real changing that.

"No comment." Aqua muttered and held a hand out, water beginning to swirl around her palm.

**Origin Pulse!**

A beam of water shot forth, only to split into six smaller beams with the help of Flower.

While they were doing that, Miracle had taken to the sky with Blossom to rain down some form of toxin.

Which just left Ren and Miki to help. Currently, it would seem that the bomber was whispering something to his partner. He got a nod in return and let a landmine fall to the dirt.

"Here goes nothing." Miki whispered as Ren carefully got onto his partner. Surprisingly, there was a spot embedded into the kimono for him to stand on. Not that it was a huge deal breaker for either member. Especially once the duo is up in the air, having been thrown up by the landmine. "Now?"

Ren gave a nod.

"Now."

**Slice!**

In one fluid motion, the head of this unknown creature was torn off.

"Good riddance." Blossom remarked, catching Ren by his feet. "I guess I can take your offer for that date."

Ren cracked a smile, carefully pulling himself up into the boy's arms as Miki watched on. While her past thoughts on the two were quite negative, she was willing to let them give it a shot. It was Ren's call, not her's after all.

"Where do you want to go?" Ren inquired, only to watch a smile form on Blossom's face.

"You'll see."

_Hunt Complete!_

With that glorious message, the pair and Miki were whisked away as darkness followed.

* * *

Notes:

I think that's enough 'crossover' for now. Outside of that, this was a rough one to write. But after editing, I like how it turned out.

.

On our next date: Let's have an island adventure.

 


	55. Introspection while falling

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

When our heroes found themselves back on solid ground and with a clear view. They were not where they wanted to be. While that could be blamed on our resident Mr Suzaki and his shenanigans, this felt like something else entirely.

Oh right. The actual place in question. While we were expecting to be back in that weird polaroid place, that was not the case. Instead, we find ourselves in a slightly different version of this island. While the house was there, there was no sign of anything else. Or anyone else. Both Aqua Luli and Flower had disappeared, along with any sign of Mr Suzaki even being there. Nor did that really explain why everything felt like it was falling. Kinda.

"You alright, Miki?" Ren announced as Blossom set him down. "Is there anything that I can get you at the moment?"

Miki shook her head as she pulled the plushies off of her. Which resulted in the owl plush growing to full-size and looking pissed at his master.

"What did you do this time?" the owl announced as he got ready to get a peck in. On closer inspection, he looked to have been dressed similarly to Flora. The only real difference seemed to come in the form of an added hood with those drawstrings. For those times when you just don't want to deal with this world.

"Avert a political assassination, Bloom," Blossom explained and let his attention turn to Ren and Miki. "Some people from the 'Raios Empire' or something want them dead."

Ren and Miki nodded.

"Do you know anything about these people?" Ren continued and watched his partner's look towards the ground. A bit of mumbling followed, far too low for either of us to really pick up. If we had to take a guess, it was something about not knowing anything. "It's okay if you don't quite know anything. Especially after all that happened."

Miki's gaze shot back to her partner, almost ready to slam a bokken or two into him. As quickly as they had come up, the blades were lowered back down and sheathed.

"It isn't though." she muttered and put a hand on Ren's back. "This wasn't part of the plan. There was only one kingdom and wasn't Raios. Or either Uroboros, for that matter."

Then what is supposed to be then? You're not making this easy for us. Unless this is one those places that technically isn't a kingdom but somehow is?

"You're nowhere close." the photographer explained and caught a glance from 'Bloom'. "Now what? Can I help you?"

Bloom didn't respond. Instead, he decided that pecking was the best answer to that question. Considering that Miki is still probably part robot some or other, that might have not been the best move.

"That's for all the trouble you caused us earlier." the owl muttered and got a look from his master. "No, I don't want to go back to plushie form."

Blossom still walked over and gave Bloom a hug. The bird reluctantly accepted the gesture.

"Ren, would you mind having our tea party here?" the magical boy continued as he picked up the other plush on the ground. "This wasn't how I planned our da-"

Ren put a finger on his date's lips.

"It's alright." the bomber answered and cracked a smile. "We'll just have to make do with what we have here."

Blossom nodded, with Miki giving her master a look.

"Well said." the photographer answered as the flash of a camera followed. "There might be a princess in you after all."

Ren's face glowed a bright shade of red,forcing his gaze away from his audience. A bit of muttering later, he was back to normal.

"I'll find something to lay on." Blossom answered and looked towards Bloom. "Could you go get us some tea, Bloom."

Bloom let out a sigh and followed it up with a nod as his master headed off. Which just left our unlucky pair to their own device for the first time in quite a while. I'm not sure if that's quite a good idea, but it could help in their situation.

"Hey." Ren whispered and focused on his partner. "How are you feeling?"

Miki took a deep breath, shooting the ground a glance before finally focusing in on her master.

"I've been better." she answered, pulling her camera back out of her kimono. "I guess you want to know more about me?"

Ren nodded. Though, I think anything would be good at this point. After all, you were a wanted woman with a lot of enemies. How does someone like you get off scot free in the face of a full-on invasion that took the lives of many people?

Silence fell over the photographer, the tears coming down right after.

"You people killed my mother and my father." she continued and watched Ren slowly approach. "For what? Because they refused to meet your demands? Because he needed to go? Answer me, dammit!"

No answer comes. Not for any lack of trying. Neither I (Sachiko) or my wife took part in either the killing of Ophanim or Seraphim. If you want someone to really point fingers too, ask our other narrator. I suspect he would have some things to say. For better or worse.

"Idiots." Miki muttered, finding Ren's hand on her back. "I appreciate your concern, but it isn't helping right now."

"Then what would?" Ren countered and watched his partner sit down. A deep breath came right after.

"Just let me cry for the moment." Miki muttered as she let her gaze return to the ground once more. "That all I need at the moment."

Ren complied and just stood there. So the photographer let herself drift into her thoughts. Outside of getting over her parents deaths (finally), there was the matter of the kingdom itself. It was a wooded sort of place, the kind where you expect to find someone like Cinderella than Ren. He always seemed more like a tropical sort of person. Which always seemed odd to her. You would think someone so regal would make an effort to stay away from the sand. Not him, If anything, he seemed to revel it. Which probably explained his love for explosions. Or an 'out' at least. I don't think either of us truly understand the line of knowledge going on here but we'll let it pass for the moment.

Whatever the case, she turned her camera on and began looking through the photos. She just needed something, anything that could answer the question of the kingdom the two had left. Like much of this chapter, no answer came. Or perhaps the question had already been answered and she just hadn't realized yet. That could be a likely possibility too. But we digress.

"We got everything now!"

The arrival of Blossom and his two plush creatures was what broke her out from this funk. Or she was just done having a pity party with herself. Both options work here, though I don't remember Miracle going with them or where the rest of those plushies went.

"I joined them." the alien bug announced and unrolled a large blanket. "The rest of the plushies are back inside."

That's good to know, we think?

Bloom set down the teacups and watched everyone sit down. Which made it the perfect moment for his master to pour the tea.

"Ren, can I ask you something?" Blossom remarked as he joined them. Ren's focus shifted away from his tea and over to the magical boy.

"Shoot." the bomber answered and Blossom cleared his throat.

"Could you teach me how to be a princess?" Blossom explained, watching Ren perk up. "I could teach you how to be a magical girl in exchange."

Ren's focus swung over to his partner.

"Would you be up to it at least?"

Miki nodded, which brought us to our bomber's other question.

"Does that mean I would get a magical girl outfit like yours?" Ren inquired and got a nod. "You got yourself a deal."

With that now solved, we come upon just as big of question. Where does one start in becoming a princess?

"For starters, let's figure out what kingdom Blossom comes from." Miki explained and turned her attention to the boys. "Any suggestion will do. Within reason, of course."

The next couple minutes consist of the pair debating possible options. With the wonderful help of Bloom. Which for the last time, Fucktopia is not a valid answer for a question like this and will never be. But that's beyond the point.

"We come up with an answer, Miki." the bomber explained and pointed towards his boyfriend. At this point, it's pretty obvious. "I now present to you Princess Blossom of Blossomland!"

Uh, that was not the answer either of us was expecting. It's still better than 'Fucktopia'.

Following that, Miki got to teaching.

"First proper lesson that a princess must know." the photographer started and watched her pupils sit down. "Is that their tongue is what most will judge them upon over their looks and actions. While a crass word is good every once in a while, it is not effective to solely rely on it."

Both men gave a nod and waited for their next instruction. But it would seem she was cut off by a loud crash. Which was then followed by a splash.

"That must mean that we're back on solid ground, right?" Ren whispered as the group made their way towards the edge of their 'island'. They were in the middle of the ocean, with Nekove just out in the distance. "We just need to get over."

Which brought us to our next problem. Actually getting over to Nekove.

"I guess?" Miki remarked as the four continued to stare out into the distance. While our math skills are a bit rusty, it's probably too far to make by just swimming. You could try making a call. "It's worth a shot."

Carefully, Ren pulled his phone out and began to dial. But after a couple minutes of waiting, no answer came.

I guess that answers the question.

After, he turned to face his partner and boyfriend.

"Got any ideas?"

* * *

Notes:

I guess I got my chapter order mixed up. My bad.

.

On our next date: No volleyballs were harmed in the writing of this date.


	56. Castaways

I don't own digimon.

In retrospect, trying to decide your next plan of action was a lot harder than one would think it would be.

For one, there was the matter of just deciding on what was the best way to go about crossing the sea. There were tons of options, most of which were unsuited for our heroes. Especially since the island they had been standing on was smaller than they had once thought. Sucks to be them, I guess?

Whatever the case, we return to our heroes pulling parts of the house off. It would've been nice if they had waited for us to describe what the house looked like and stuff. But oh well. Why they didn't the help of Flora and the other plushies is beyond me.

"So the plan is a raft then?" Blossom asked and watched Miki nod.

I guess that our question isn't something that matters. Oh well. Anything interesting happen while we're gone?

"We didn't realize that you two even left." Miki added and pulled her bokken's back.

**Slice!**

Somehow, a piece of wood designed for practice sword fights is more than enough to cut through building materials. Seems legit and totally safe. Not that we can really judge here. Especially when our plan just involves flying back to Nekove and just landing. Wait. Couldn't you guys still sort of do that? At least one of Blossom's creatures has to have flight... Right?

Bloom let out a sigh.

"You would think that." he muttered and pecked at his hood. Which can't be that healthy. "But no, we're supposed to jump really far or use some other method."

Your master does realize that some magical girl anime actually do let their characters fly. Or did he watch just one show in particular. A lot?

Bloom didn't answer, instead getting handed what looked to be the wood that Miki had just cut off. Without a word, he headed off to a small pile and deposited it there with the rest of the building supplies.

"So how big of a raft are we thinking?" Blossom and watched his two companions focus on their pile. While there was probably enough to construct the flotation device, they didn't really have anything to hold it all together.

"We need it to hold at least all your plushies and the three of us." Ren answered and returned his attention back to Blossom. "So pretty big."

Blossom nodded, following it up with a poke.

"Could I ask you something?" the magical boy continued, getting to work pulling out what looked to be a support stud of the front wall. You might want to leave that in for the moment. Especially if you don't know if there are any other supports in this particular

"Go ahead." Ren answered as he examined the surrounding wall. Once he was sure that this particular stud was not a load-bearing one, he got to helping his friend.

"Where do you live?"

That was not quite the question our bomber had been expecting. He had probably thought this would be one of those times that the subject of favorite colors or even favorite genre of music would come up. But to be asked for his place of residence, someone seems quite confident. Or just curious. One of the two.

"Uh… I don't really have an exact residence." Ren answered and followed it up with a deep breath. "Sometimes I'll crash at a friend of mine's house or we'll rent a hotel room on Miki's card."

Sounds about right in our book.

"Oh. That's... uh interesting to say the least." the magical boy explained and took a deep breath. "Maybe once were back over in Nekove, I can start work on a place for my mom and I. Then one for you at least."

Ren shook his head.

"As much as I appreciate your offer," the bomber answered, shooting his partner a quick glance. As great of an idea that a house might have sounded like, the likelihood they would be back here (in Nekove at least) was quite unlikely. "I have to go back to the mainland."

Blossom's expression seemed to change upon hearing that. His gaze shifted slightly as the pair broke the support free and did not send that part of the house to the ground.

" I can come to visit you every once in awhile." he answered and focused on Ren. While he didn't believe this would be the last time that he would see the bomber, such a precaution was still worth taking in that mind of his. "I just might not be in my magical girl garb."

Ren shot him a look.

"What would you be wearing then?" Ren started and picked up the latest piece of scrap to add to their collection. Slowly, he made his way over and deposited the stud into the pile. Then it was back to Blossom.

"Pink floral top with tan shorts and shoes. Sometimes a fedora." Blossom answered and picked up some more scrap. "For some reason, I could never find sandals."

You should now. Especially with a far larger selection with a variety of colors to try out.

"Really?"

Yep. There are tons of clothing and shoe stores on the mainland.

"That's awesome." Ren continued as his gaze shifted to Blossom's outfit. While it did scream magical girl, it didn't tell him much in the way of what he did as one. Of course, considering all the things that were 'unfitting' of a princess. I guess this might be a similar case for our friend here? That could be. Does have little animal companions and least some sort of a transformation gadget/accessory? If not, then he's just a wannabe magical girl. If there are.

Ren looked away, debating with himself on whether to ask.

"Once this is all said and done, will I still get that outfit you were promising?" Ren inquired and let his attention return to Blossom, who gave a bit of a nod in return.

"Of course, especially for someone as cute as you." Blossom announced and watched his boyfriend gaze fall to the floor. I guess that makes this a successful date. Thankfully, our resident magical boy was their to pull him back up. "Sorry for catching you off guard."

"It's alright?" the bomber whispered back and let wrapped his arms around Blossom. "Can be in blue at lea-"

Before Ren could finish that sentence, Miki cut him off with a snap of a photo.

"There we go." she whispered, letting her camera slip into her kimono. Then it was over to the raft "Ready to get to work you two?"

Both Ren and Blossom nodded and made their way over. It would probably help if they got their other friends. Or how about Blossom's mom and something or other. We're not entirely sure what Flower is supposed to be. Not that it really matters. There probably off somewhere on some grand journey doing things with all their creature friends. I hope so, at least.

"Well, she is the queen of the seas." Blossom continued explained and picked Bloom up, bringing him over to the pile. It was possibly in the hopes that he would be some sort of help to them. So far, not so much. "So that might have something to do with it."

Both Ren and Miki looked towards the magical boy. While that explanation was not the one they had been expecting, it felt out of left field and just silly. Which at this point, is kind of expected in stories like this.

"Uh… what are the narrators even talking about now?"

Beats us. When our compadre got pulled out to deal with some other important issue, so we had go off of the information given to us.

"Uh…" Blossom started as they began work on the raft. "So we just need to assemble it like a jigsaw puzzle then?"

Miki gave a nod and did another slice. This time, not as deep as the one done earlier. She repeated it on a few more pieces.

"That's one way to look at it." the photographer explained and watched the boys put together the initial pieces. "I was thinking more along the line of lincoln logs."

Your talking about those little logs that you can put together but need something else to hold them actually hold that bond? Because if you are, that doesn't give us much hope for that raft of yours. Probably should've thought that through a bit better.

"Yeah, I'll have to agree with them there." Blossom remarked as Ren added a nod into the equation. Miki shot both of them a look and then followed it up with a chuckle.

"I get it." the photographer remarked and looked out towards the sky. "I guess that probably make me look old-fashioned or something."

I wouldn't quite go that far. You're one of the few remaining members of a culture we know absolutely little about. Just hearing about stuff like this gives us a far clearer picture of how things were like before this whole mess.

Tears began to roll down Miki's face. We don't blame her. Imagine for a second that your parents just died and the world wants you dead. You somehow manage to create a new life, find someone to care for and try to move on. But some things don't let you do that. No, they force you to face these demons through inadvertent coincidence. This is just one of those cases.

"Thanks for that, I guess." Miki whispered and looked towards Bloom. "So how many plushies are we going to be transporting?"

Bloom looked over to what remained of his master's home.

"If we're including me, six." Bloom announced, his gaze returning to the trio. "Do you want me to start bringing them over?

"If you could." Miki answered and watched the owl head back towards the house. Her attention on the other hand, turned to the raft itself. While it was coming along quite nicely, she was still not all the way there. For the moment at least, that would be good enough for Ren.

Eventually, Bloom returned with the plushes in tow. He deposited them on the makeshift raft and then joined everyone on there.

"Ready to go then?" Ren whispered and got a nod in return.

With that, he dropped a grenade under the flotation device. The next couple seconds were the moment of truth. Would they sink, or would swim? I mean float. Words are hard, okay?"

The raft shot forward and forced our heroes to hold on. Especially in the case of the plushies. They didn't have the luxury at the moment of being able to hang on for dear life. They had to just make do with some help from their teammates. Though, I swore I heard one of them break out into a series of obscenities. But that's probably my imagination.

Whatever the case, the beach of Nekove quickly came up on them. Our heroes were promptly flung off. None of them were hurt.

"We did it." Blossom whispered as they dusted themselves off and picked the plushies up. "Would you mind if I stayed the night?"

Ren nodded, with the trio making a beeline for their hotel room.

* * *

Notes:

This was not the original chapter. However due to some stuff happening, this is what came out. I prefer this one a heck of a lot more.

.

Next Time: Not always are things perfect. That's alright though.


	57. Even in Paradise

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Of course, that wasn't the last thing of trouble that one of our main characters had gotten themselves into tonight.

Unlike Ren or even Airu though, the problem here seems to not be something we had to quite deal with. Oh wait, maybe it is.

Which brings us to here.

"Ugh…" Ryouma muttered, her eyelids springing open for what felt like the millionth time in the last hour. This time it was the sudden crash of what sounded like a raft crashing to shore. Probably nothing of importance. "Sure it was."

She took a deep breath and rolled over. The closing of her eyes followed as she drifted into dreams.

In said dream, she found herself back at Airu's home. More specifically in her room. It even looked the same as it had before all of this happened. Don't get her wrong. Hinoka's room had its fair share of pluses. But on any good day, she would rather be knee-deep in all sorts of spaceships, action figures and mecha. It was all long gone though.

Of course, Hiroshi was standing right beside her, brushing the doll's hair with a mix of care and elegance. It felt quite nice. Especially when it was followed by a light touch-up on her face.

"Can we play now?" the boy announced and watched Ryouma turn around. He was currently dressed in what looked to be a retro female space cadet outfit. It took quite a lot of inspiration from the old American sci-fi pulps. "Got your uniform and raygun ready?"

Ryouma gave a nod, a smile following. She looked down, finding a red version of Hiroshi's garb on her. She messed with the pockets, making a raygun appear right after.

"Yep." the doll answered as the pair strapped themselves in. "Where too, captain?"

The room around them shifted in shape, taking on that of a futuristic spaceship. Complete with a whole bunch of buttons that are just for show. Because why not?

"To the planet of dolls, of course." HIroshi explained and began pressing button on his control panel. "Heading off in 3...2...1…"

But the liftoff never comes. Not because it didn't happen. Far from that. It was more of a result of the doll's eyes opening back up and reality setting in once more.

"Just shut up." Ryouma mumbled and let her fist slam into a pillow. "Why must I be reminded?"

She flopped over, muttering something to herself. The next attempt comes not that long after. Now, the pair was drifting towards their space. Which looked quite uninteresting. Since you know. It's space and stuff.

"Beginning entry of planet's atmosphere." Hiroshi announced and turned to face Ryouma. "Anything in particular that you want to do here?"

Ryouma just shakes her head.

"I want be with you." she whispers, her gaze shifting away. "After that, I'm not entirely certain."

Even though this was just a dream, she was going to get as much of out it. It didn't matter what happened.

"There has to be more than that, right?" Hiroshi countered and watched Ryouma's attention return to him. "Life can't just be about flying through spaceships and dressing up all fancy."

His words do little to soothe the doll's mood. They probably just pushed what she knew even further in. Not that it was really hard at this point.

"I know that!" Ryouma screamed as the tears began to flow down. "But I want to savor this moment for as long as I can, before you slip away from me."

Hiroshi put a hand on her. While it probably felt good, but wasn't the same as it had been. So Ryouma let her attention return to the boy.

"Sometimes, we don't know how good we have it till till there gone." Hiroshi continued and wrapped his arms around the doll. "But there are still chances to find the fun you seek."

That got him a glance, especially as the tears continued to come on down. Especially as the spaceship landed on the planet.

"Then how should I go about doing that?" Ryouma screamed and pulled her raygun out, pointing it towards the one they care about.

Horishi gives no answer. Instead, they just stand there.

"The answer is inside you." the clerk explained and slid the measuring tape thing into her pocket. "Once you push the denial out, the answer will come."

Ryouma fired the raygun. Everything around her seems to go in slow-motion. Hiroshi slumps over, their body becoming ash.

The tears finally stop, but she just feels even worse. For even in paradise, there is always rain. Doesn't matter how sunny it's been or the chances called by the forcasters, the droplets eventually come down. You can try to stop it, try to get around it, the rain will still comes. And when it rains, it pours.

Right after, time seems to return to its normal pace as the doll was spirited back to reality. She checked the clock and took a deep breath.

"Too early to get up." Ryouma muttered and made a glance to the doll in her dress. Ignoring the uncanny valley of a living doll having an inanimate on them, this doll looked… lost. Which compared to how her owner was feeling, seemed like a result of that. "Back to bed once more."

This time, she bit the bullet and fished the doll out.

There's no spaceship this time or doll planet this time. She's back in her room. This time, Hinoka is right in front of her. Ryouma wants to look away, but keeps her gaze on her girlfriend. That was the least she could do in this imaginary moment.

"What do you mean you want to play space cadets?" Hinoka whispered and looked the room over one more time. "I'm busy right now. Can it possibly wait?"

Ryouma sighed, knocking her hand into a spool of fabric. While it didn't really tumble over, she still got the desired effect from Hinoka.

"It's always something new for you, isn't it?" she screamed, and took a deep breath. "I help you out, make sure that you remember what you need too and this is how you repay you me? Somedays, I wish that I didn't go to that stupid sh-"

Hinoka just stares at her, the words she's shouting not registering in her head. So the doll takes a deep breath and walks over. Imagination and palytime replaced by this, memory recall and work. Short end of the stick was an understatement when it came down to it.

"How much do you remember?" Ryouma whispered, doing her best to hide the irritation. It always takes a second, sometimes more. But eventually, Hinoka rouses from the fog.

"I remember I was working on something and then what?"

Ryouma took a deep breath and let her relax, attention still focused on Hinoka.

"So after the outfits are done, you'll play with me?" she remarked and watched Hinoka shake her head. Then it was back to measuring stuff for some garment.

"Wait..." Hinoka answered back, forcing Ryouma's attention back to her. "If you're willing to help me out with that costume, I might be willing to help you out."

That remark was enough to get her help out. Which in retrospect, was actually working out in the doll's favor.

"How does this look?"

Hinoka held up the outfit. At first glance, it looked like a latex tank top and skirt. But on closer inspection, it would seem that the outfit had been designed for doll bodies rather than human bodies. I like where this is going.

"You didn't need too." Ryouma remarked and got a head shake in return. "The worst part about this being a dream."

She took a deep breath and ran over to the closet. If she was lucky, the object in question would be there to complete the outfit. As her luck would turn, there it was - a pair of white knee-high heel with red undersides.

"Found them!"

Hinoka gave a nod and watched Ryouma turn to her. There, it became a matter of slipping the outfit on. Then the boots, followed by a pair of opera gloves that went halfway up the arms. And we can't forget the blasters. Which in this case, Ryouma's had been painted a nice shade of red. Like it should be with her.

"Aren't you going to try yours on?" she inquired and got silence in return from her girlfriend. But she could live with that. She was dressed in the outfit she had waited for so long to be in once more.

"Mine isn't ready yet." Hinoka and looked over to her work. "Maybe once it is, we can go see what's on the city of dolls."

She got a smile for that. A well-deserved one at that.

"It's a deal then." Ryouma whispered, only to be caught by surprise by the arrival of someone else. "Just a little bit longer, please?"

Alas, that wish was not granted. But instead of being brought back to the hotel room, we instead find ourselves in the dreams of a certain jester. Which took the form of a black void. No sign of Cora though. You better not have killed either of your daughters again.

"Have a seat, Ryouma." Jestery greeted and made a chair appear. After, she let her focus turn to the sky. "For the record, Cora is off sleeping and MIRA has recently made contact."

Wait… If you've gotten a message That must mean...

"Jestery can't make those sorts of guarantees, Aunt Chaos." Jestery continued and finally turned her attention to Ryouma. "So, how was that set of dreams? Good, bad, a way to steer Ryouma in the right direction?"

She got a deep breath. Then a glare.

"I enjoyed parts of it." Ryouma responded and got a nod. "Does the costume get to stay around? I wouldn't mind having it in some form."

Jestery let out a chuckle. A whisper follows. I guess that's a yes then. Somehow.

"Jestery planted the seed." she announced and concentrated on Ryouma, bringing forth a door of sorts. "It up to Ryouma to cultivate that dream now.."

Ryouma gave a nod and took a deep breath. While the last couple hours had been a complete rollercoaster of emotions, she appreciated it.

"Go fight wind, Ryouma!"

Ryouma got up from her seat and made her way towards the door.

On the other side, the doll found herself back in her bed. While not quite refreshed by any stretch of the imagination, she felt far better. Then there was the matter of her phone, which appears to be ringing off the hook. Or something like that. So she picked it up and swiped left, bringing it up to her ear right after.

"Hello?" Ryouma whispered and got what sounded like spools of fabric falling over. "Hinoka?"

"What took you so long, Miss Rose? I've been trying to get hold of you for the last hour." Hinoka responded, with a deep breath following. "I got this idea for a new outfit for both us."

A picture appeared on screen, resembling that of the outfit the doll had worn in that weird dream sequence. Though, there was still the matter of actually cutting the outfits out and getting them sewed up for proper space exploration. Right now at least, it was a good start.

"That's great." Ryouma answered and took a deep breath. "I should be home today."

Silence, followed by more spools of fabric falling over.

"That's good to hear…" Hinoka started and took a deep breath. "Could I ask you something?"

"Su-"

But Hinoka hung up, not even awaiting an answer. Which is kinda rude when you got down to it.

"I'll talk to her when I get back." Ryouma muttered and let her attention turn to her partners. While we're not entirely sure how she got a triceratops along with a massive humanoid through a door frame possibly designed for regular people, she managed to do just that. "Wakey, wakey."

Slowly, both Astamon and Triceramon roused from their slumbers.

"Morning." Astamon greeted as Ryouma made her way towards the door. "I guess we're going now?"

"Yeah." Ryouma whispered and pushed the doors open. "If Airu and everyone else aren't up, we'll just sleep outside or something."

Both digimon nodded and somehow managed to squeeze through. Back on the other side, they found their friends waiting for them.

From the looks of things at least, there had been no real outfit changes. Well outside of everyone wearing their pajamas (hopefully) and then returning to their regular clothes. That, and Blossom being there for the moment.

"Uh… He's a very good friend of mine." Ren remarked as his friends focused on Blossom. "I met him last night."

The magical boy gave a wave.

"It's nice to meet you." he added and followed it up with a chuckle. "I'm staying here for the moment, mostly so I can get my stuff together."

Fair enough. Especially after all time you guys spent falling and stuff.

"Yeah." Ren added and pointed towards his partner. "That, and I got Yasyamon to open up. She's some sort of angel thing or something."

Everyone's attention then shifted over to the photographer. While most of them weren't entirely certain what happened between the fight in the lobby and their hopefully peaceful slumber, it might just be best to let sleeping dogs lie.

"Okay…" Airu answered and took a deep breath. After, her attention turned to Ryouma. "Something wrong?"

Ryouma shook her head, only to get a look from both her partners.

"Just had a long night." the doll whispered and got onto Triceramon. "Eventually got too sleep. Just took a while."

Airu gave a nod and got onto Parasimon. Cho followed right behind, with our other heroes doing something similar. Except for Blossom, of course.

"Best of luck, you guys!" he announced and watched the three mounts head off. But not before blowing a kiss in Ren's direction.

* * *

Notes:

This is one of my favorite chapters to write, especially for Ryouma.

.

On our next date: Let's head home.


	58. Heading Home

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

It didn't take our heroes that long to make the journey from the hotel to the dock. If anything, it was more of a matter of keeping the gazes from both the wyverns and the nekomata away. Which was probably the least of their worries at the moment.

"Something wrong, Sugar?" Cho whispered and watched her wife turn to face her. A deep breath follows.

"I'm not sure about this 'Victoria' woman." the trapper remarked and looked off to the side. "Sure, she took both of our daughters in for some reason, but what is her goal in reaching out to us now?"

Cho gave a nod and pulled her in. While there wasn't a kiss this time, the two were most definitely tempted to go all the way. But restraint was probably best for the moment.

"Whatever happens, I believe in you protective abilities." Cho encouraged and watched her wife's face slowly turn red. Any further, there might be steam coming out of her ears. "Especially since I think I'm quite close to start building your suit."

If they were not on Parasimon at the moment, I think Airu would start jumping up and down. Not that I would blame her for feeling that way. Just a step closer to the dream they share. Which I guess came up earlier when they had to fill them in or something? Or the time shift did that.

"That's awesome." Ren remarked as he finally blew a kiss back to Blossom. "Though, aren't there other ways to do this?"

Cho took a deep breath and looked towards Airu. In turn, she got a nod.

"This is what I wanted." the trapper explained and took a deep breath. "There probably is in retrospect, but this seemed like the best idea when we were trying to figure stuff out back then."

Or in other words, you reached the point of no return and decided it was best to just head on?

"Pretty much." Airu whispered as Swaggy finally came into view. So they carefully stopped their mounts.

"Ahoy!" Cho called out and watched the dinosaur focus in on them. "Could you possibly transport Sugar and the rest of us back over?"

Swaggy looked them over. If anything, he probably seemed confused by the sudden change from Yasyamon to Miki. Or perhaps he was annoyed by having to take along a triceratops on top of Astamon. Or both. You can never really know with him.

"Of course." the dinosaur explained and let a deep breath follow his statement. "In that case, let's start with your spider and work from there."

Parasimon barked, slowly making his way up onto the boat itself. Once there, both Airu and Cho disembarked. Then it was Sella's turn to head on up.

"Thank you for taking the time to bring us here and then back over." she whispered and got a nod from Swaggy in return. Which also brought the signal for Ren and Miki to join their teammates onboard. Which just left our last trio to board.

"I'm going to need you guys to take it slow." Swaggy explained and held a banana out. "Can you follow my banana at least?"

Ignoring the urge to make fruit-related puns and/or jokes at the dinosaur's expense, the trio somehow managed to board the ship. Ryouma still joined her teammates. Then it was finally time for our captain to come aboard. It didn't take him too long to get the engine started either. With that, they were off after what felt like forever.

"Bon voyage, Nekove." Ryouma announced, only to get looked over by Parasimon. "Let me guess, you have more to say."

Parasimon gave a nod, receiving a sigh in return.  
"Just keep it short."

That got her a bark, followed by the spider latching hold. With the size difference between the two, both my wife and I got a chuckle watching it all play out. But that's beyond the point, with our currently possessed doll thing pulling their phone out and scrolling through the contacts.

"Hello?" the voice on the other end remarked as a smile formed on 'Ryouma's' face.

"It's me, Candlemon." Parasimon muttered and let his tone. "We've just left Nekove. Got to actually possess someone for once."

A chuckle comes from the other end.

"Oh? Who exactly?"

Parasimon cleared his throat. Well, we think that's what he did.

"Airu's past future daughter. Except technically I possessed both of them." the spider explained and looked towards his owner. "I doubt Airu or Cho understood half of what went down, let alone me having to jump her. Just another step closer to maybe seeing Arachne one more time."

Hey! Stop doing our job. We already have enough problems with our imaginary money being stolen from us.

Ignoring our interruption, the spider got a chuckle of sorts.

"Relax. Just pointing out the obvious for my friend here." Parasimon continued and blew a kiss. "No, I didn't really get the chance to get you anything. If they stop, I'll make an attempt at getting you something."

The called ended right after, with the spider letting his control disappear. Standing back on the boat, Parasimon gave a bark. Which was the signal for Ryouma to return to reality once more. It was probably the best sleep she had gotten in a while.

"You don't need to remind me." she muttered and returned to her teammates. At the moment, they seemed to be staring out towards the water. So she sat herself down with them.

"What was that about?" Airu inquired and watched the doll's attention swing over to her.

"Parasimon wanted to make a call or something."

That got her a double take, which led right into a bark from the spider digimon. While she could easily question the spider, it was something that was probably counter-intuitive right now. Maybe when they got back or something. That way, they could interview both Candlemon and Parasimon.

"Anything else?" she adds and Ryouma nodded.

Ryouma's attention turned to her phone, moving away from the phone screen and over to the pictures. It took her a minute, but eventually found what she was looking.

"Hinoka is making me something." the doll explained and showed Airu the outfit from last chapter. "Though, she also referred to me as "Miss Rose'. I'm not sure what that's about."

Airu's gaze turned away from the doll, letting it focus on the sea. There really wasn't anything going on, just a good way to get her thoughts in order ahead of everything that was coming their way

"I'm not sure either, Ryouma." she eventually answered back and took a deep breath. "I guess she thought it would suit you, maybe?"

Her answer does little in the way of helping the doll. If anything, it just stalls that mystery in place. Not that I think that was the intention. Far from it. With each time shift, it starts to feel like we all know less and less about this world. Sooner or later, what was once the digitalverse might become something else entirely.

"Uh… sure." Ren remarked and turned her attention to Airu. "Outside of having to cut your vacation short, Is there anything else wrong?"

Airu shook her head, only to get a hug from Cho.

"Whatever happens, happens." the baker explained and smoothed out her outfit. "What matters at the moment is how we handle it, Sugar,"

Her remark seemed to get through to the trapper, a smile of sorts forming on her face.

"Thanks, Cho" Airu answered and focused back on Ren. While the bomber was kind of looking at the ocean, his attention was more on her. Kind of. "So anything when you met Blossom?"

MIki sat herself up, scooting over.

"Political assassination." Ren answered as his partner cleared his throat. "She's a something or other."

The word you're looking for is angel. Not that it really matters at the moment.

"We also saw yo-"

Before Ren could finish that sentence,someone came aboard. Speak of the devil and I guess he appears or something? Something like that.

"Dad?" Airu remarked as our heroes let their attention turn to Mr Suzaki. I really do hope he realizes that the waterproof makeup is not just silly but implies a whole lot of things that we did not need to know. Especially since Hackmon doesn't seem to be around at the moment. And that better not be

"Does it matter?" the handyman muttered as he was finally joined by his partner. "Orders are orders."

Airu and Cho rolled their eyes as Swaggy noticed this new arrival. He made his way over, smacking his banana into the man.

"I'm guessing he's one of yours?" the dino remarked and got a nod in return. "I'm not entirely certain what sort of outfit he is going for, but I will not stand for you coming aboard."

Mr Suzaki rolled his eyes, attempting to shove the piece of fruit into the dino's mouth. He failed miserably, with Astamon grabbing hold of him. Which might be for the best for our heroes, since their destination awaited.

"Thank you." Airu whispered and got back onto Parasimon. Cho followed right behind. It was a similar story for Ren and Miki with Sella. Which one more, left the trio of Ren, Astamon and Triceramon. Oh, and Mr Suzaki too. Three of the four got together and left the fourth in the air. With that, they disembarked as best they could. In return, Swaggy gave one last wave.

"Well that was fun." Ryouma remarked as the trio made a quick exit from the docks and onto the streets itself. "Shall we head back to Airu's then?"

Her attention turned to Airu. While it wasn't quite her decision, I guess she thought it was the best place to start.

"Yep." the trapper whispered and gave Parasimon a slight tap, signaling that it was time to head off. For the most part, the rest of their trip home consisted of just silence. The sort that brought a calming sense to it. Well, when Mr Suzaki wasn't flailing about.

"Can I put him down?" Astamon remarked and got a head shake in return. "Not yet."

That was not the response the handyman was looking for. Especially as Airu and company transitioned onto the grass. Though, it would seem that someone was already waiting for them - Youko and Delia to be exact. I guess they didn't tell Hinoka? That sounds about right.

"Welcome back." Youko greeted and watched Mr Suzaki get put down. "I heard about your phone call."

"Yeah…" Airu answered back and let her focus be on her mother for the moment. "I'm not sure what to expect when they come but,"

She took a deep breath, which got her a concerned glance from her mother. For some reason. Just ignore the fact that she tried to kill you the other day and stuff.

"I will stand my ground and get to the bottom of this." Airu continued, getting a fist pump from Cho in the background. "Right, Cho?"

"Of course, Sugar." Cho answered and watched Youko's expression change.

"Well then." the chosen answered, a smile now on her face. "I would suggest you all get washed up and stuff."

With that, our heroes disembarked from their mounts and headed inside. Then it was up the stairs. Except for Astamon, of course. So she settled for just waiting in the bushes for the moment.

"Mommy, do you think they'll be alright?" Delia inquired and looked towards her mother.

"We have to trust that they will be." Youko answered, her attention now on her husband. A slap follows. "You idiot, Sakura!"

'Sakura' looked away and takes a deep breath.

"I'm sorry." he whispered as Youko returned her gaze to him. "At this point, I don't know even know any more."

"You better decide then." she answered as she and her 'daughter' headed for the screen door. "Because sooner or later, someone is going to make it for you."

* * *

Notes:

Yes, Sakura is a feminine name. It makes sense.

.

On our next date: Let's get clean.


	59. Clean and Refreshed

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

After such a long trip, getting to refresh oneself is the best feeling in the world. There was still the matter of who got to take the first shower.

"Rock…"

Airu, Ren and their partners turned around. Ryouma on the other hand, had chosen to just watch.

"Paper…"

Hands now out, we're about to decide this debacle. Or get closer. We're not entirely sure.

"Scissors!"

From the looks of things, Airu and Cho went rock, Ren went scissors and Miki, paper. Wait, this only works if there is a clear winner.

"Sugar can go first." Cho remarked and got a nod from her wife. "Then Ren, Miki and finally me."

Both Ren and Miki gave a nod, choosing to just loiter in the hallway. Ryouma just went to Hinoka's room. Which brings us right back to Cho. Who currently hard at work with reclothing Cure Heart and Regina. Of course, Hinoka forgot to revert them back to their inanimate state. Which meant on top of having to deal with the constantly moving dolls, Heart's other wives. It was a very weird day in this household.

At the moment, death glares and threats whispered under their little breaths looked to be what they had in mind at the moment. Not that their targets were really listening at the moment.

"That tickles!" 'Regina' announced, her 'wife' watching on as her wedding gown was removed in place of her regular clothes. Which was made far harder by Regina wobbling about.

"You have to hold still, Regina! Then she can put your clothes back on." Heart responded and got a face from Regina in return. "I'm sorry about her squirminess. She isn't really used to this stuff."

Cho shook her head and slipped the garment on.

"It's alright." the baker explained, letting her attention shift to the group of currently grimacing dolls. "That's enough."

"Give us Mana then!" one of the dolls announced and flung a balled-up tissue. It missed Cho by quite a lot and got the thrower at least one facepalm. After, it was back to dress-up. This time, it was Heart's turn, which also got her the treatment of regular. "Let us sleep with her more often then!"

I feel like this is something you need to discuss with her. Not shouting at someone who had nothing to do with this.  
But Cho ignored them, choosing instead to go over to the closet and grab a fresh set of clothes. She did take the time to look at her armor. If anything, it felt almost foreign to see herself wearing it. Maybe some variation on Airu's future armor, perhaps? That sounded like a good idea. She would have to run it through the trapper first.

That way, once Airu was done with the shower, she could take her turn. Of course, Heart's harem was not done with her. No, that would mean that Cho had a possible point and stuff. That and there was the time that Heart went straight for some godforsaken reason. We don't talk about that moment. Ever.

"Death to the green-haired one!"

Multiple cure dolls began making their way up the baker's body, only to be repelled by a bit of shaking. Of course, that didn't stop them from trying to climb up her again. I think you already know what happened.

"You do realize how petty this is?" Cho remarked and took a deep breath. "Shouldn't you be taking this to Heart herself and not me?"

The dolls reluctantly looked towards her, giving a nod in return. After, Cho made her way back to the bed. Mostly to watch them attempt to make their way back up onto the nightstand. You would think with all those dolls working together and the constant theme of teamwork this would be an easy task. Well it turns out, not so much. Most attempts got part of the way then fell.

Airu's arrival brought an end to Cho's watching. It also brought the Hugtto main cures with her. I guess they went off job hunting and failed. Which was to be expected, given the current job market at the moment. Keep trying you three!

"Welcome back, Sugar." Cho greeted as her wife grabbed a piece of paper and a clipboard, joining her on the bed. Some sketching followed, with the trapper doing her best to model a figure. Once that was complete, she began to draw the main part of her idea.

It looked to be a robot suits - modeled after the ones that they had seen Baste and Cha-Cha wearing Nekove and enhanced to match that of her dream's. Unlike those, these had a smooth latex finish and were colored pink respectively. Along with a slightly oversized set of upper claws, the face was what looked to be a curved screen that displayed expressions through LED's. Respectively, she wanted purple, to offset the pink. While her feet would resemble that of a feline's, they did have a built-in heel for those times that you just needed to have a little more height.

"What do you think, Cho?" Airu thought and watched the baker focus on the paper. She looked it over, handing it back.

"I like it." Cho announced and let her arms wrap around Airu. "Though, you forgot the tails."

She watched the trapper blush and carefully got into bed. After a bit more sketching, the tails were added. Then it was time for a nap.

"Goodnight, Sugar." Airu whispered back and watched her wife turn the light off. This brought with it sleep and subsequently, the euphoric visions known as dreams or something.

She found herself in some sort of black void with an armored figure on the other side. Around her, fans seemed to be watching them, ready to cheer whichever side seemed to be winning.

"Uh… hi?" the trapper called out, but got no answer. No, the figure chose instead to just charge forth and I guess, punch her or something? "Okay."  
She flung a bear trap out, watching her opponent quite casually just walk through it and fall to the ground. But just as quickly as they fell, a weird-looking flower creature appeared to take the place of this fallen opponent. Unlike the figure, they chose to stand in one place. Which I guess is a bit anticlimactic for a fight.

So the trapper charged towards it, making the effort to dodge the vines and just stomp on it when she got there.

"Wait. If this is a dream, how can I still hear you?" Airu remarked as her opponent disappeared, only to be replaced with a dragon. Which was insistent on staying out of the trapper's range. Even if she could reach that point, there was little in the way of power in the bear trap to actually damage her opponent.

"Jestery has had enough of this!"

Airu turned around, finding Jestery standing in front of her. Like everyone else in this chapter so far, she too was dressed in her casual clothing. Though her definition was stretching it quite a bit. The last time we checked, bikinis were not casual. Nor was Jestery living in a place that got to such temperatures to require such a loose garment.

"How dare step aunt Chaos disagree with Jestery's outfit choices!" the jester announced and shook her fist towards the sky, only for a girl dressed like a french maid to appear.

"Hi Jestery." Airu greeted back, only to find her attention focusing in on this new guest. Well, I guess we can't really call her new, since they made many an appearance in other fics across this series or something.

"Yay! Cora is back!" the jester announced and began jumping up and down, only to get a glare from her daughter.

"Put some clothes on." Cora announced and watched her mother do a twirl, her regular outfit now upon her. "Sorry about this. Grandma Victoria wanted a better idea of who she was dealing with."

Airu's gaze shot towards the maid, sort of understanding what going on at the moment. Even if that didn't why they went through such a complicated process to learn about her abilities. They could have just appeared in her room and just gave the trapper a slight shake. Nothing major.

"Thanks, captain obvious." Cora muttered as Cho appeared. I guess she got tired too? "Sorry about this Miss Airu and Cho. I did not intend for her to be so… aggressive in her pursuits. Especially at this hour."

She shot a quick glance to her partner/mother and sighed.

"Oh hi, Sugar." Cho greeted, making her way over to Airu. "Fancy seeing you here?"

Airu shrugged.

"Alright." she answered. "How about yours?"

Cho's gaze fell to the ground. After, she whispered something to her wife.

"I understand." Airu whispered back and gave her a hug. "Should they show up, you won't have to face them alone."

Cho gave a nod and the two turned their attention to back to their hosts. Or was it kidnappers? I'm not entirely sure. But it probably doesn't matter in the big picture that much.

"Oh well." Jestery remarked as weird sparkles appeared. "Nighty night, Airu and Cho!"

Darkness engulfed them once more, flushing them down into an unknown void. When their eyes opened up once more, they found themselves back in their bed.

"You're up, Cho." Miki announced, having decided to barge on into the room. Fair enough, maybe?

"Thank you." Cho answered and got up, grabbing the clothes she had chosen. Which looked to be a skirt and shirt combination. Airu followed right behind.

* * *

Notes:

A bit of a shorter chapter. Considering that the next is a bit longer, it works out.

.

On our next dates: It's been a while. Good to see you're all doing great.


	60. Like old times

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

 

 

There were many things that Victoria Arcana preferred to do as little as possible.

Some of it was the result of past adventures - playing Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, dealing with the dark blades and listening to Mint bitch about everything among many other things that would take too long too mention.

"Oh. It's you people." Victoria muttered, holding Kuro's hand for once. The catgirl priestess appreciated the gesture. If she was lucky, a kiss might follow. But right now, there was still other things on the black cat's mind.

Which brings us to the list of the big things that Victoria would rather just go away. And out of all the things on that far shorter list, traveling was near the top. Which seems odd, especially when you realize how many miles the black cat has gotten in over the years. Sort of like how she claims to not be a 'people-person', but has a harem of gals following her around everywhere she goes. All of them cute and loving. People you would not expect following someone who has a tendency for emasculation among other things.

"Hey, I don't make fun of your life decisions, miss lovebirds." Victoria countered and got a glare from offscreen. Not that she could actually see said glare and react to it. "Welcome to Japan, everyone. Been a while."

Coming off of the plane, our crew of Victoria, Kuro, Victoria's partners (Skia and LadyDevimon respectively), their children and their maids seemed to have taken to air travel… alright. I think it would help if Skia wasn't so keen on pointing her guns at everyone.

"Does it matter." the digimon announced, getting a look from both her masters. "You cooped us up on a plane, Lady Victoria, Lady Kuro. What were you expecting?"

Victoria took a deep breath, a smile forming on her face. She turned to Jestery, who had just teleported in with Cora. No MIRA though.

"MIRA in process of crossing over." Jestery explained and followed it up with a smile. Seconds later, the magical girl robot thing appeared. She was still dressed much the same way that we saw her last. A pink and white qipao with matching heels, while a pink wand of sorts sits in her hands. Her wig had seen better days, while her eyes had gone for more of a violet rather than the usual pink. Not that anyone seemed to mind.

"MIRA is here!" she announced in her childish glory, happy to see her actual mommy. Not that her other mommy did a half bad job. Though, she could stop staring at my hands. "Hi Clair!"

Offscreen, her other mommy got a wave. MIRA waved back.

A short walk followed, with the group finding themselves in the terminal proper. Which looked surprisingly big. Possibly even bigger than anywhere any of them had been in quite a number of years. But that isn't really saying much.

"Can we get something to eat, nya?" Kuro inquired and focused on her wife. A reluctant sigh was her answer. She gave a nod, rushing off to what looked to be a McDonalds of all things. Victoria sighed, only for a chuckle to follow. The last time she had an actual burger was probably some time during the adventures with Alpha. Dang that was a couple years. It truly flies along, whether you have fun or not.

Whatever the case, the crew followed Kuro into the fast food joint. Inside, it look like a 'booth' with some tables to eat at nearby. It's not quite the full experience, but it'll do for them.

"May I take your or-"

The person at the counter did a double take, followed by a deep breath.

"Oh good. You're not the person with that stupid dragon." the person announced and took a deep breath. Which in turn, got Victoria a look from her wife. Considering what happened that day in Vegas, it's quite understandable.

"No comment." Victoria answered, following it up with a deep breath. "We'll take 10 burgers and 5 happy meals."

As she finished that order up, one of her maids gave her a tap. It looks to be Mint, since Honey is just floating there. Or something.

"What about us?" Mint remarked and watched her master roll her eyes. "Maybe we wanted to eat as well."

Both LadyDevimon and Kuro looked over to her, then towards each other.

"You didn't say please, nya." Kuro added as her wife headed off, choosing to follow right along. All that got her was a look. Then some giggling. I don't think that's going to help with the food situation. Especially with a solution as simple as that.

Mint groaned and cleared her throat.

"Victoria, may I please have something to eat?" the maid finally muttered, watching a smile form on the black cat's face. She slowly got up from her seat, making her way back over to the counter.

"Since you asked so nicely," Victoria explained as the trays came out. "I might give you a burger. Maybe."

Mint went in for the swing. Thankfully, Honey was there to stop her from losing something vital. Like her head. Since you know, that thing has truly been useful to us. It even got her a look from her child - Chouko. Who was not amused at all by her mom's behavior. But that wasn't anything new for this family.

As it would turn, Victoria had gotten enough food for everyone. Though that doesn't explain why she needed to share a happy meal of all th-

"It's Baste!" Kuro announced and began cradling the nekoroid toy close to her chest. Then it was to time to show Victoria. "This is amazing, nya!"

I guess that answers the question. Especially when Victoria pulled her in.

"Maybe a concert some other day? Just the two of us?"

Kuro gave a nod, a smile forming on her face. Then it was back to their meal, which mean one of them giving their children a little num-nums. Which appears to be both women's turn. Of course, Mint had to throw a tantrum in regards to that.

"Really, in a public space?" she announced, with MIRA of all people looking her down.

"Mommy Clair did it a couple times." the magical girl explained, "MIRA had to explain to her that MIRA did not need to be fed that way."

I do hope you realize you've put images in both our heads that we can now never unsee. Thank you for that.

"Your welcome." MIRA added, ignoring the state she had left our narrators in. Thankfully, the rest of lunch passed without incident. Then it was off to their final destination - Baggage Claim. While they had packed light for the trip (most of them had one set of clothes), there was still one or two things to grab.

"Well, I wasn't expecting a welcome party."

As a whole, Victoria and Kuro could count the amount of friends they had on one hand. So, you can imagine their surprise when they found him waiting for them. He also looked to be holding up quite well, especially after all the time shifts that happened.

"It was the least I could do." TK announced and set down the sign he was holding. "Now that you're married and all."

Kuro let out a chuckle and wrapped her arms around her former boyfriend. TK reluctantly accepting it, possibly preferring a hug from Victoria instead. Which could be easily arranged, if the black cat wasn't being so stingy in this particular moment. It was just delaying the inevitable. Heck, I'm fairly certain that you're purposely missing to just fuck with him.

That particular statement got both narrators a possibly well-deserved stink eye.

"Fine." Victoria remarked and carefully wrapped her arms around the gentlemanly asshole. Then she went for her favorite move. Not that her target seemed to really care nowadays. Dicks can be replaced, bodies not so much in the traditional way.

"Are you sure about that?" Evil TK announced as the group exited of baggage claim and out to the pick-up/drop off area itself. Outside, sunny skies awaited with a touch of clouds thrown in for good measure. Which made for quite a pleasant day, for once. And sitting right in front of them, was the armored vehicle. While not as cool or even awesome as say Officer EMT's, it did the job quite nicely. "I consider you two more of acquaintances than friends, but…"

He pulled out a pair of cat plushies - one violet, one pink. If you squinted, they looked like Webkinz. But that was stretching it quite a bit. Especially with how hard it is to even find such things these days.

While a light layer of dust seemed to cover both of them, the plushies looked quite nice. Why he didn't just send them through the dark emporium is beyond me.

"I'm banned." Victoria announced.

Then have Kuro get it for you. Unless...

"Whole family is banned. And I quote 'as long as that whore is in your possession, we refuse to do business'.

Evil TK shot Mint a glance.

"It's not my fault that fucking playboy bitch maybe died a couple times." Mint announced to no one in particular, outside of the viewers. Who probably don't even understand the reference or the context. Which considering what's being referenced here, might be for the better.

Of course, our main trio had mostly cut out the yelling of Mint in the back. Far less stressful too.

"Sorry I couldn't make it to the wedding." TK continued and handed the plushies over to their respective owners. "Did get to narrate it though. So that sort of counts"

That response got him a chuckle.

"Personally, I think you did quite well." Victoria countered as the trio got into the vehicle itself, having their maids throwing the luggage itself into the back. After, they carefully entered the vehicle one by one, making sure to wipe their feet off at the door. It was the least they could do after their trip. "How's Hikari doing?"

TK started the engine up, carefully directing the vehicle out into traffic. While he could answer the question, he didn't want to get into an accident with another car. Especially without a proper driver's license and insurance. Wait. Did he even have one when we were starting out all those years ago? No, that doesn't sound like him.

"She's doing good." the gentlemanly asshole finally answered, with the vehicle having now left the airport and gotten onto the highway. "Still wants a child of some kind, but I think some time with Ririsu and her kid has alleviated that for now. I didn't quite keep my promise though."

Victoria just nodded. She was tempted to chuckle, but even that was too much.

"We finally had our kids not that long ago." the black cat added and for a brief second, swore that TK gave her a stink eye. But that was probably her imagination more than anything else. "There a bit of a challenge to keep track of, so there being left with my other other sister at the moment."

It took TK a couple seconds to remember what exactly she was talking about.

"Oh yeah, her." he remarked and took a deep breath, pushing that knowledge back to where it came from. "I'm surprised that Jestery is with you."

Upon hearing that, Jestery perked up. She cleared her throat and leaned forward.

"Yep! Jestery wanted to take family on vacation. If Jestery is lucky, Kain will find his way over."

Oh yeah. How he's doing after that accident with those totally not poke-

"It was just a pair of magical girls and their familiars." Jestery corrected, a deep breath following her statement. "He's nursing a broken leg from sparring with Jestery."

Ow. We wish him the best of luck.

Jestery gave a nod and returned back to her seat. Then it was MIRA's turn to speak up.

"MIRA is sorry for forcing you to watch us commit suicide." the magia explained, getting what appeared to be a stink eye from TK in return. Which is far better than some of the other methods the gentlemanly asshole has used over the years.

"So that's what happened with you. I guess you're not as tough as you make yourself out to be." Victoria remarked and got a look from the driver. Carefully, she leaned over and whispered something into TK's ear. "Hopefully, things won't go that way."

TK took a deep breath. While he trusted what he heard was the truth, it didn't make things better. It just made him feel worse. So he set the vehicle on the curb.

"If they do, I will stand by you." the gentlemanly asshole announced, making sure to focus in on his passengers. "If you do something stupid/dangerous though, please send me a message. It's the least that you can do."

Victoria gave a nod, only to be followed by a glance from Mint.

"Now what?" she remarked and got a sigh in return. "If this is about Davis, you can just drop it right this instant."

Mint flashed the middle finger, not at all caring that the vehicle was currently in motion. Which resulted in her nearly falling out of her seat. Serves her right.

"Shut up!" Mint shouted and shook her fist at the roof. "Why do you even care?!"

"I saw him the other day. Claimed to be taking my measurements" TK remarked, making a quick glance into the inside mirror. "I put everything into putting him out that day. And then he just comes back like it was nothing. So I think you can imagine the frustration I might have. "

Mint let out a groan and let her gaze fall to her lap. Hopefully, this wouldn't be the start of a very long day.

The vehicle came to a stop right after.

"Here's your stop." TK explained as he turned to face Victoria and Kuro Neko. "Best of luck."

Victoria opened the door, which got her a look from Evil TK.

"No big speech, nothing quotable?" he countered and watched a butterfly sword get pointed his way.

"For the love of god, don't get yourself killed." Victoria answered and sheathed her blade.

"Just because a butterfly like you has made the journey many times, you could never know when your journey ends."

She exited right after, her posse following right behind.

Notes:

This originally started as after-chapter scene. I'm glad it became more than this.

.

On our next date: Get dressed. It's not like anything major is coming.


	61. Dress for Success

I don't own digimon

* * *

 

 

After what was a bit of a messy nap, Airu and Cho were more than ready for whatever awaited them.

"Well that was weird." Cho whispered and took a deep breath, giving Airu a quick hug. "Anything in particular that I can get you before I head off to my shower, Sugar?"

Airu shook her head.

"Not at the moment." the trapper answered as they headed to the door. "I do hope you use that shampoo I like."

Cho stopped in place, letting her expression be a smile. It wasn't anything new to hear it out of her mouth, but she didn't care. It was the thought that counted in this particular moment. Then it was off with them.

"I will, Sugar." the baker answered as the duo approached the door, pushing it open right after. Outside, Ren and Miki patiently waited. For this occasion, Ren had found himself a dark blue version of his 'travel dress' along with a matching set of heels. With a little help from MIki, probably, he even got a light coat of makeup on his face. Miki on the other hand, had just stuck to her kimono. It was probably easier in that regard.

Ryouma on the other hand, was in Hinoka's room. Though she had left the door open. So anyone could waltz on in - which Cho took as her cue to head for the showers. Fair enough?

After, Airu turned her attention to her teammates

"So I got visited during my nap." Airu explained as their attention turned towards her. "Jestery wanted to visit me or something..."

For that, she got a pair of confused glances. Which was then followed by a nod. It probably would've been better if she had actually gotten some actual information out of the encounter. Well, does knowing some of your opponents count to that?

"I guess it could?" Ren answered as they watched Ryouma exit her room, coming over not in her usual clothing but instead what looked to be to be a red latex tank top and skirt. A red pair of knee-highs with heels tapped against the carpet as what looked to be a blaster bobbled in place against her thigh.

"What do you guys think?" the doll inquired and watched her friends look it over. She did a couple of poses, even showing the craftsmanship of her blaster. Which makes us both want a pair. Both the costumes and the blasters. I guess I know what our next project is.

"I like it." Airu answered as her audience gave a nod. In turn, the doll's face began to warm up quite rapidly.

"Hinoka found some old costumes of yours." the doll explained as Airu gave her a look, not entirely certain which ones. While she and Cho had made all sorts of costumes, they had made sure to keep the ones they liked in good condition - occasionally modifying them to fit their much larger bodies. But this, she couldn't quite remember. This could just be the case of a time shift or it being something she and/or Cho worked on at some point at got caught up in something else.

"Uh..." she started and followed the doll into Airu's room. Inside, the room hadn't changed that much - just a mannequin with what looked to be a full-sized version of the outfit Ryouma had on at the moment. Hinoka was hard at work. When she wasn't falling asleep from sleep deprivation.

"Mornin' sis." Hinoka greeted and turned to face the trio. In her hands, appeared to be a pair of dry cleaning bags. "I think these are your and Cho's."

She handed the bags over, watching Airu hold one up to see. A pink princess dress with a blue brooch over the bust and puffed up shoulder pads was held with what looked to be a pair of white opera gloves as well as a weird latex facial mask with a dandelion blonde wig and blue orb earrings.

"Do you know where this came from?"

Airu closed her eyes for a brief second, holding a finger to her chin. While this wasn't the most obvious, she thought she had a good idea of what it was.

"Remember that weird cosplay bake-off?" Airu inquired, watching Hinoka's face light up. "It was all prince and princess themed, so Cho and I went as Princess Peach and Daisy."

Nothing pretty cure related? Are we sure you two were alright that day? Though, Ren would've been down for that. I think.

"There really weren't that many precure 'princesses' at the the time." Airu continued, looking over the other dress of the bunch. While this one had an orange dress and a flower brooch, it was mostly a copy. Not that Cho had really minded. Now though, she doubted that would fly with her. "Do you think you can make some modifications?"

Hinoka's gaze swung on over, doing her best to stay awake. Even against the looks of Ryouma, who was holding up her nightgown and a cute stuffed doll of herself as best she as. Aww...

"What sort of modifications?" Hinoka inquired as she pulled out a notepad. "Outside of adjusting the sizes, of course."

"I was thinking about getting rid of the masks and wigs." Airu explained and watched her sister jot that stuff down. Then it was a matter of pulling the dresses out of the bag and fitting them onto some of the spare mannequins. With the state that she found herself in, it became the job of Ren and Miki respectively. With that now out of the way, Ryouma stepped behind a screen and got herself properly dressed. Which took the form of her usual red dress and shoes. No blaster, but her string was still on her. Somewhere. "Outside of that, could you make Daisy's dress purple?"

Hinoka gave a nod, setting down her papers and making her way over to the screen.

"You need to rest." Ryouma whispered, putting herself in front of her girlfriend. But it wasn't enough. She was pushed aside and the stuff in hand joined her. It doesn't take her too long to change, going with her usual robes. Which didn't make someone too happy. "Hinoka, you've been up far longer than you need. I am asking you as your girlfriend, and as Miss Rose."

But she wipes it all away. Her demeanor changes, she becomes happie, more energetic. But Ryouma looks away.

She exits right after. We don't blame her for feeling that way. If anything, there's only so much you can do for someone like that. Eventually, you're going to have to try a different solution.

"Did I do something wrong?" Hinoka continued and looked among those that remained. Getting no answer, she rushed out as well. Hopefully to ask Ryouma about it. Back with our trio, they were currently looking things over.

"So this is what your sister does in her off time?" Miki inquired, looking over the various machinery and equipment in the room.

"Yep." Airu answered as a pair of cure dolls came to work. They even had those little lunchboxes. What they would actually put in them is beyond either of us. Whatever the case, they decided to join Ryouma and company.

But when they got outside, all they found was Ryouma waiting out in front of the bathroom.

"Is there anyway that I can help you" Airu inquired, watching her sister's girlfriend take a deep breath.

"Not at the moment." Ryouma whispered as Cho opened the door, revealing herself to be dressed in her new outfit. "One of these days, she's going to do something to herself and I won't be there."

She took a deep breath as Cho exited, joining Airu for the moment. Of course, the trapper made sure to quietly recap what had happened in Ryouma's room. A nod followed.

"And you know this, because?" Ren remarked and got a look in return from the doll. "Or this something else that you're not telling us about?"

Ryouma mumbled something to herself. As much as she probably could tell them about this, right now was not the best time. Especially with an unknown threat at the door at the moment.

"Uh… I'll tell you guys later." she remarked and made her way downstairs. Her teammates followed right behind, giving little mind to what looked to be Mr Suzaki heading back up. I wonder what he's doing?

"What would you guys like for breakfast?" the trapper inquired as their feet made the transition from the carpet to I guess the linoleum below. While there was still time to decide, you might want to make up your minds soon. Or not, since Hinoka was waiting quite patiently.

"Miss Rose, could you tell me why I got frustrated?" she ask and blows Ryouma a kiss. But all that seems to get her was a look away on the doll's part. "Please?"

Another deep breath.

A whisper followed, with Hinoka's expression seeming to change right after.

"Oh. Date later, maybe?" she answered and carefully picked up Ryouma. The doll accepted the gesture, holding back the words she wished to say. For now, at least. Which doesn't leave us any closer to solving our breakfast issue. She did mumble her response. I think that was a yes.

"I was thinking pancakes, Sugar." Cho explained as they made their way towards the kitchen. "If we have the ingredients of course."

Airu nodded in agreement as the group headed that way. From the looks of things, neither Delia or Youko were hanging around here. Instead, they were 'cuddling' over in the living room. If you know what I mean. ;)

"Uh.. sure?" Miki remarked as Cho stopped at the pantry and opened it up. After, she turned her attention to Ren. "Ren, do you want me to do this for you?"

Ren shook his head. Then he walked over to the table and pulled out a chair. While the cue wasn't lost on his guardian, it didn't seem that princesslike to her to be made breakfast. If anything, it should be the other way around, yada yada.

"I can do this, Miki." he explained and rejoined his teammates in the apron-choosing process. Which just meant choosing the one that matched their respective colors - pink for Airu, purple for Cho, red for Ryouma and blue for Ren.

Of course, someone without an apron wanted to pitch in as well. Though, I have the sneaking suspicion that her help might not be as useful.

"Would you like me to assist you, Miss Rose?" Hinoka remarked as she watched her girlfriend get her apron and try to help get out the necessary ingredients - eggs, milk and flour. A task that Airu and Ren seemed to complete without her.

"I should be alright." Ryouma whispered and took a deep breath. "If I do need your help, I'll come and get you."

That response got her a nod, but not the movement of feet. If only because there was a chance of something being said.

"Want to have an outing later? Just the two of us"

The words rolled out of Hinoka's mouth and the doll focused on the ground. She wanted to smile, but at the same time - shake her head.

"If you're good and not wipe your memories again." she answered, getting a nod from the sorceress in return. Then it was back to the pancake process.

Things started out simple enough. Cho would man the griddle, while Airu and Ren mixed up the ingredients. Then came the pouring of the pancakes, which had been Ryouma's selected task. This was slightly more difficult than the previous task, but doable. Unless you were a doll. Then it was possibly impossible.

"Dang it." Ryouma muttered, her hand having now unintentionally touched the griddle for was likely the fifth time in the last couple minutes. "Cho, would you mind if I just served the pancakes?"

Cho nodded and helped the doll down. Then she handed her the initial plate. The pancakes came right after, which Ryouma managed to handle far better. The walk over to the table was a similar story, even if Hinoka did need to help her up.

"Want some pancakes?" Airu announced and watched her mom turn around.

"Of course." Youko answered and casually made her way over to the table. Which sounded kind of like metal trying its best to not break the floor. Delia was right behind her and at least sounded a lot more graceful. Not that this was really saying much.

"Something wrong?" Ryouma inquired, but got a head shake in return. "Enjoy your pancakes."

She made her way back to the kitchen. The next plate of pancakes was ready, so she picked that plate up and headed forth once more. If one didn't know better, you would probably thought she was a robot or something.

"Okay…" Cho remarked and flipped the current set of pancakes. "Do we know when this Victoria lady is supposed to come?"

Youko took a deep breath, her gaze shifting away from Cho and towards

"She said that she would be here a bit before noon." the mother explained as a few more plates of pancakes were placed on the table by Ryouma. "From what I heard though, it's entirely possible that she could be even earlier."

Both Airu and Cho gave a nod, bringing over their own plates of pancakes. For as excited as they were to see their daughters again, a bit of fear was held within. Their collective knowledge on their opponent was quite little, but the same could be said about what their opponent knew of them. If you didn't count their spying by way of Jestery as actual information gathering.

After a couple portions of pancakes, cleanup followed with a portion being left out for Mr Suzaki to have later.

Which wasn't too bad when you factored all the people currently up. It did leave our heroes with some time to wait around. Especially since all they could really do was wait and hope for the best. So they did just that, rewatching what looked to be an episode of Mahoutsukai Precure. Due to the amount of people smushed up against the laptop screen, we couldn't quite see what it was.

Eventually, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Airu remarked and got up, Cho following right behind. A full-on dash followed, with neither willing to let the other slow down. Which meant that they both reached the doorknob at around the same time. So they decided that teamwork was the best method to open the door up...

"It's been too long, Mom and Mommy!"

Only for the pair to find themselves in the arms of Honey Suzaki.

Notes:

The weirdest part about this chapter is how it is long as the previous one. Just food for thought.

.

On our next date: Parents see their children and try to connect. For better or worse.


	62. Family Gathering

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Honey Suzaki was on cloud nine as she stepped through the door of her mother's home. And who could blame her? After such a long time, she was finally getting to visit her family and their friends. Even if that did mean having to drag her 'sister' along for the journey.

"Uh… welcome home?" Airu greeted as she and her wife looked Honey over. Compared to what they saw in the picture of her, there was something different about seeing the fitchiemon in person. An aura of heat surrounded her, bringing forth feelings of warmth and if you just stood still long enough... love. "Sorry about the mess. We just got back a couple hours ago."

Honey shook her head, a smile of sorts following.

"It's alright, mom." she answered and made a glance towards the now open door. "She's going to be the problem more so than Victoria."

Her mother's focused their attention that way, taking in their other daughter. Unlike Honey, she had gone through no major change to her body but she was dressed in the same Victorian-style maid outfit.

"I refuse to accept these women as my mothers!" Mint announced, still quite bitter about that. If anything, I don't think anyone else cared. "I am the product of a man and woman, not a pair of stupid washed-up whores!"

Airu and Cho took a deep breath and returned their attention to Honey.

"Would you mind if we took a moment with her?" Cho inquired and watched their daughter give a nod.

"Go on ahead." Honey answered and the two made their way outside. While the past couple of days had been a mess timeline-wise, things seemed mostly stable for the moment. Which possibly wasn't saying much, but that was something.

"What do you dumb fucks want now?" Mint muttered, not happy to see her parents right now. Especially on what was supposed to be a bright, happy celebration. "It doesn't matter what you do. It won't change my opinion of either of you."

Airu took a deep breath and slowly approached Mint. When the former order leader tried to make a break for it, the trapper grabbed hold.

"Let go of me!"

But Airu didn't. No, she just tightened her grip as her wife joined them.

"You can shout all you want about how we are not family, how we are nothing more than whores in your eyes. But here you stand." the trapper countered and looked upon her technical daughter. Under the sunlight, it was far easier to take the woman in. She could see the stupid amount of strawberry blonde hair dye that was trying to mask the now apparent lime green hair of her mother. The silicone of her breasts, while not visible, seemed to hide her quite meager melons. Add in all the botox in her face and lips with the strenuous attempts at masking her voice, one found themselves staring down a plastic golem. The sort you mistake for a sextoy until they start moving their bodies.

"Sorry about what happened the other day." Airu announced, only to be handed a large box. "We didn't know that we would be sent back in time to see you like that."

But Honey shook her head.

"It's alright, mom." she answered and floated over to the dining room. Her mother followed, making sure to lock the door for the moment. Especially if they didn't want to get a seemingly endless stream of homophobic swears and comments directed their way. Which speaking of which, is not going to help your case at all. "Stuff happens."

After saying that, the fitchiemon cracked her best attempt of a smile. It was actually not half bad when it came to smiles.

"Okay…" Delia mumbled, watching her granddaughter take a seat at the table. "Hi Honey!"

She held her arms out, waiting for the necessary gesture. Which did take Honey a couple of seconds to realize what she want

"Hi Aunt Delia." Honey answered back and attempted to return the favor with a hug. Which just resulted in the lilithmon phasing through and falling to the floor. "Oh crap. Sorry."

Yet, Delia shook her head as Airu set the box down on the table.

"It's alright." she remarked, pulling herself back up. "Your hug felt nice, which is all that matters."

With that out of the way, that left just one person to wait on - Mr Suzaki. Well two, if you counted Jesmon. But that was stretching it in this particular moment.

"How's my favorite granddaughter?"

Mr Suzaki then appeared, dropping through what looked to be a portal created by his partner. Which landed him right on the table. Though, he had taken the time to put on one of his nicer vest and shirt combos with a pair of dress pants. Which I guess balances this out? Not really? Though, why do I get the feeling that isn't really his outfit. Like seriously, there's sparkles coming off of it. Sparkles are never good.

"Sorry Youko." he continued and watched his wife groan. "It's better than that one time with those Ros-"

Before he had a chance to finish that sentence, Youko shot him a look.

"Right. That one is a bit on the personal side." Mr Suzaki continued as Jesmon finally appeared. "Sort of like all the other dress-up stories…"

Airu and Cho perked up, their attention now focused on their father. But instead of getting his gaze in return, it was focused on the floor itself. For as nice as said floor was, with it's linoleum pattern and neutral color, it still couldn't replace the fact that he was ignoring both his children and grandchildren. Which makes him almost as bad as the barbie outside. Which speaking of which, where are Victoria and the rest of them.

"Could you maybe elaborate, dad?" the trapper inquired and got a groan in return. "Or is this something for another time?"

"The latter." Mr Suzaki answered, not even taking his gaze away from it. "I'm not sure where to even start, if I'm being honest here."

He took a deep breath and finally gave his granddaughter a smile. Only took him a couple minutes.

"Welcome back, Honey."

Honey gave a nod and made her way over, giving Airu's father a side hug. At least this time, she made sure to stay solid for the whole thing. Which might be for the best. Especially when the person you're hugging seems so distant and disconnected from it all.

"Is there something wrong?" Honey called out and watched Mr Suzaki shake his head. "Are you really alright?"

"Yes, Honey." Mr Suzaki answered, getting up from the table. "Come on, Jesmon."

His partner shot him a glance, only for the chair they were sitting in to change. Now, it was holding them in.

"No, you are not running away this time." Jesmon muttered and watched Honey make her way over to the box. Carefully, she opened it up.

"I got everyone gifts!" she continued and focused . Once open, she handed what looked like dry cleaning bags with… maid outfits over to Airu and Cho. While similar to her own, these ones seemed to have an actual set of heels and stockings. Just as quickly as they were given, Airu and Cho were off to put their new outfits on. Because you know what, this was somehow something new to the mega.

"At least give us a chance for us to take photos!" Youko announced and got a pair of nods. How she saw them, we're not quite certain. After a few minutes of waiting, the duo returned.

"Oh my." Mint muttered, staring out from a nearby window. Of which she had gotten the attention of Ryouma.

"Come in." the doll remarked and got no response. So she opened the screen door and dragged the maid in.

"Let go of me!" Mint shouted as her parents came back into the dining room, dressed in their victorian maid outfits. Unlike some of the other costumes, these ones went for a dark blue dress with a white apron. "Wait. Why are they so cute?"

It was a complete slip of a tongue, the sort that was quite easily punishable by others.

"There you are, mom!"

And to just further complicate matters, her daughter, Chouko, had managed to find her. Unlike her, she was more keen on seeing her grandparents. But no sign of her partner. Weird.

"Wait. You told me one of them was supposed to be a robot?" she remarked, the name of which she couldn't remember at the moment. "I'm guessing this is your extended family as well?"

"Yeah." Julie muttered as Ryouma grabbed hold, pulling her and Chouko inside. Which came as a bit of a shock for the pair. I guess our doll here is a lot stronger than we both thought.

"Do you want to meet your granddaughters?" Ryoumal announced as she focused in on Cho and Airu. Maybe it was the amount she had seen the two put on, but they seemed to be over the moon. Or it could be that they actually got to be in the same garments that actual maids were.

But then her gaze turned to Youko.

"Shit." she muttered, only to find the hybrid standing before her. "Hey. Let's talk…"

Youko muttered something under her breath, letting her arms around Julie.

"I'm sorry that we failed you…" she whispered as Delia took a photo of Airu, Cho and Honey. Then it was back to their regular clothes for Airu and Cho."Because of us, you lost them."

But Mint shook her head, not at all noticing that that her masters and their digimon partners had made their entrance.

"I'm sorry about this." a voice announced, revealing themselves as a familiar violet lolita-wearing woman. "But with all of your time traveling escapades, it couldn't be ignored."

"Victoria, don't be so cryptic, nya." Kuro announced and joined her wife. From the looks of things, she had finally been allowed to trade in her cloak for what looked to be a gray priest vestments. About dang time she did that.

"I guess Kuro." Victoria answered and took a deep breath. "Airu Suzaki, we need to ha-"

Before she had a chance to finish that sentence, laughter erupted from somewhere.

"Not again." Youko muttered as everything went dark once more…

.

"I just can't catch a break, can I?"

TK didn't have to look. He felt whatever the fuck was at work at the moment and didn't like it. So he gave the picture on his dashboard. It was of a time when there were twelve of them and the greatest worry was where they were going out. Now, he was the last one. The biggest issue now were matters of what awaited at the end.

"Give me your strength, you guys."

Carefully, the gentlemanly asshole exited his vehicle and made his way towards the Suzaki's home.

"Show yourself." he announced, getting laughter in return.

"Let's play hide-and seek, TK!" a voice announced as pellets shot forth from somewhere. "This time, I will find you."

Evil TK just pulled his pistols out.

"I would like to see you try." he taunted and ran on in. If anything, it was score that needed to be settled once more.

A beginning to his end.

* * *

Notes:

Onto the next hunt.

.

On our next date: Well... I saw that coming.


	63. Rods and Knobs

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

On the other side, our heroes found themselves in a new unknown place.

From their best observations, they were currently standing in what looked like a palace ballroom. The sort that's used for dances, not ball pits. Which aren't a thing outside of fast food establishments and those children entertainment places, for some reason. That's an absolute shame and should be fixed right this instance. After all, there's nothing more fun and enjoyable than beating someone up in a ball pit. Especially if they provide tools to whack your opponent non-lethally. Fun for the whole family, if you ask us. But that's not even related to this. Sorry about that.

The walls had been painted a bright shade of white, with purple accents of all colors thrown in for good measure. A yellowish brown tile floor had been put down, but was more of a temporary fix in place of whatever owner's had in mind for this place. Hopefully, that was nicer tile. Or perhaps even carpet. But not the stuff they use in the schools. That stuff looks hideous.

Of course, it would seem that none of them were really in the mood for that. Which to be fair, could be the result of most of them getting sent into a time shift not long after the last one (or too soon, in Ren and Miki's case).

"Not again." Ren muttered as the two carefully picked themselves up. "Are you alright, Miki?"

Miki gave a nod and the two made their way over to their teammates. While all three hunters had managed to make the jump, not all their partners were as lucky this time around. Astamon and their mounts out back hadn't been so lucky, getting left behind. Nor was Chouko and Victoria's partner. Or Jestery and company. Why did we let a whole bunch of people come along to do what is essentially cameos. I guess heroes need their rest. Or something like that.

Though, they did get bring Hinoka and both of Airu and Cho's daughters along. So I guess it wasn't all bad?

"Yay! I get to go on an adventure!" Hinoka announced, her tone slightly bubbly for once. "And I get to do it with Ryouma!"

She began jumping up and down, which got her a small smile on the face of her doll girlfriend. The matter of whether or not Hinoka had attempted to wipe her memories was still up for debate.

Not everyone was quite so happy to be here. Which was to be expected, but you know. Law of averages.

"This is the second time shift in a row!" Mint screamed as she tapped her foot against the floor. "How dare you!"

Offscreen, both narrators let out a snicker. They would have laughed, but that could be considered rude.

"Shut up!" Mint muttered and began shaking her fist.

You have no room to talk, especially after what you did to my younger sisters.

"You're still wound-up on that? That's old news."

Offscreen, the sound of a fist slamming into a wall could be heard. This was then followed by Sachiko comforting her wife. Some wounds just don't heal quickly. Let alone while time shifts are all going on.

"Now what?"

Honey floated over.

"You…"

Carefully, the fitchiemon let her arms wrap around the maid.

"It'll be alright." Honey explained and watched her sister's face turn a bright shade of red. "Things will work out. Sure, it might seem unclear at first, but we'll get to the bottom of it."

She got a groan in return, but it followed by a smile.

"Fine…" Mint muttered as their attention shifted to their grandparents along with their partners. Currently, Youko had her husband cradled up. She was scanning the area, but wasn't seeming to find anything.

"Could you put me down?" Mr Suzaki whispered and his wife complied, setting him down so he could stand up. "Thank you, Youko."

Youko gave a nod, watching Delia and Jesmon walk up.

"There seems to be an exit, but it's locked." Jesmon explained, getting a shrug. Which led to them focusing on Victoria. At the moment, she was staring off into space. Which wasn't helpful at all. "Though, that doesn't explain why you're dressed like a scorceressmon."

Mr Suzaki looked down at himself, finding the robe dress thing on him. It was a nice cerulean one, with gold ornamentation to boot. A pointy witch hat sat on his head, along with quite a bit of makeup and hair work to his head. This all culminated in with what looked to be a pair of false breasts glued onto his chest. Which if you didn't know better, made what was supposed to be the owner of a hardware store look like a drag queen. Wait a minute.

"I actually like wearing stuff like this." Mr Suzaki remarked and followed it up with a curtsy. It was quite impressive. Even though we're somehow even more confused. "Though, how do I put this…"

Both his children and grandchildren's attention focused on him. This is the moment of truth, or something.

"I don't quite run a hardware store, kids."

"Then what do you run then?" Cho inquired, only for Youko to take a deep breath. "Do we even want to know?"

Mr Suzaki shot his wife a quick glance, only to get a head shake in return. Oh. this is one of those sort of things. Considering you were swinging around a dildo sword and attacking chilldren.

"Sakura, you know how I feel about this." Youko countered and got a double take from even the narrators. Which at this point, wasn't anything new.

Uh… who names a boy 'Sakura' of all things? Though if they were blind or had some weird tastes, I guess that's a free pass.

"Uh… that was kind of the case." Sakura continued, rubbing his hands together. "While there both in a better place now, old habits die hard I guess."

That still doesn't explain any of this. So is this 'hardware store' just a cover for a drag club? Also, how does Youko fit into this? None of this makes sense.

"My main job involve toys…" Youko started and took another deep breath. "Sex toys."

Having said that, their attention was back on Sakura.

"At the time, I worked as a kimono girl. I would serve drinks, take orders and flirt with customers - usually the woman."

So you're bi then. This just can't get any weirder. What next, we somehow run into royalty? Now we're just testing our patience and stuff.

"Was this how you met mom?" Hinoka asked and got a nod from her father.

"She was on a mission for Agni, trying to get to the bottom of something pleasure-related. I checked all the boxes and one thing just led to another." Sakura continued, beaming with a mix of love and affection. "While she was aware I was a guy, it didn't seem to bother her. Especially once we had proper children."

MInt fell over. At this point, we kind of don't blame her.

"Are you kidding me?" the maid screamed and got a glare from her master. "What? Does none of this fucking phase you?"

Victoria let out a giggle.

"I watched one of my friends sextapes on a train with my future wife." the black cat countered and Kuro gave a nod. I sort of remember that day. Sorry about what happened at the apartments. "Wasn't the worse one I've seen, but it was up there."

Wait. This isn't the only sextape you've guys been treated too? I wonder what weird corners you've been lurking in. Or why you let Varia on your premises.

Her attention shifted away from Mint, but not before watching the woman's jaw fall to the floor.

"Wonderful." Victoria continued and took a deep breath. "Well, it was about time that I had a proper adventure."

Her attention turned to Kuro and their digimon. Then it was over to Airu and co. She probably was thinking why these people were even here. Not that either of blame her. Especially since they were all taking turns to beat Sakura up with his dildo sword.

"It's kind of therapeutic, mommy." Delia remarked as she handed the sword over to Ryouma. While the doll's swing was kind of awful, it got the job done.

"Especially with my wife, this time around." she continued and cracked a smile. In return, her wife perked up as she made her way over. The catgirl priestess was normally stuck on the sidelines, making this a nice change of pace. Getting to be with Victoria (post-pregnancy), was just an added benefit. Though, the kids did make it a bit of a double-edge sword. While they had both taken some time to teach them the basics of good adventuring, a lot of it was more learning by experience than actual teaching. And they had their two maids on top of it. Who could be helpful in a pinch, if one of them wasn't such an ass.

"I heard that!" Mint announced, getting a response from no one.

"Good. You're awake."

Their attention turned to the far end of the hall, where a picture of a strange-looking giant hung. It's face was coated in a mix of black and white makeup, while a pair of yellow eyes seemed to scan them for something in particular. Just barely, one could make out a sword on his back.

"It's been quite a while, Victoria." the voice continued, with the black cat flashing her butterfly swords in return. "If I knew you swung that way, I probably wouldn't have done what I did."

Victoria took a deep breath, right as Jestery appeared. With her mother's other children and that weird doll thing that was left to supposedly babysit them, no less.

"Just shows yourself, Piedmon." Victoria muttered and watched a glitchy figure appear. While he looked like the titular jester, his whole body looked ready to fall apart and scatter itself into a million pieces. Compared to the photo, he looked like a complete wreck. Especially since he managed to lose his sword in the void again.

"Please don't hate me." Piedmon remarked and got a chuckle in return. "I kind of knew that things wouldn't work out. But I still pushed…"

But Victoria rolled her eyes and yawned.

"Then let's settle this then." the black cat countered. "About time we ended this and just got a divorce."

Piedmon gave a nod and pulled his swords out. Well, what remained of them at least.

**Victoria infusion digivolve too… Selenemon!**

* * *

Notes:

This is your general reminder that DA03 was weird and possible far too innapropriate for regular fanfiction sites.

The title of this date was an attempt at a sex joke. I think it's... alright.

.

On our next date: Ironic, but it might be for the best.


	64. Chapter 64

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

For once, it was Airu and co. turn to be on the sidelines.

While normally, they probably would've been quite pissed to hear that. But after a couple hunts in a row over the past couple days, it was a welcome relief. But with no less than two 'new-to-some' megas, came analyzer screens. It can't be helped, I guess. Especially with all this stuff. If you want someone to blame, our former boss might be willing to give you a ring. Or not.

_Now scanning…_

_Loading Entry…_

**Piedmon**

**Mega, Virus**

**Special Moves: Clown Trick, Trump Sword**

**.**

**Youko: Wait a minute. This is one of the dark masters, what is he doing here?**

**Piedmon: Reboot! Reboot! We all love the reboot!**

**Chaos: We don't talk about that. At all.**

_Now scanning…_

_Loading Entry…_

**Selenemon**

**Super Ultimate, Despair**

**Special Moves: Moon Inferno, Moon Slash**

**.**

**Victoria: Take a look at me now!**

**Kuro: You're showing off, nya.**

**Victoria: Yes, but this one of the few chances that I get to do so.**

_Scan Complete_

Piedmon made the first move, choosing to fling his handkerchief out. It got turned into ash with a single fireball. Which makes one wonder what he was expecting.

"Stupid bimbo." the clown muttered, not at all noticing his granddaughter sneak up behind him with a dead body. Which was quite odd, since I don't remember Jestery even being here at all. Wait. Is that MIRA on her back?

**Corpse Slap!**

The dead body connected with Piedmon, only to explode into rainbow-colored sparkles. The tasty kind. If such a thing existed. Which is high unlikely and just silly. Like seriously, why would anyone in their right mind want sprinkles that actually taste like anything? Outside of Jestery, I guess.

"Nah. Jestery thinks sprinkles should stay the way they are." the jester announced. Though, there was no sign of Cora for some reason. Maybe she was doing other stuff? What exactly, were not entirely certain. It was probably something time-related. Such as avoiding this area for the moment. Which is probably a good idea when dealing with Jestery.

Now it was MIRA's turn to attack. Which took the form of her sitting down and closing her eyes.

"Mommy, give MIRA the strength she needs to destroy this thing!"

"Jestery is right here, MIRA." Jestery explained and gave her a pink glow of sorts. What followed, was a mix of a magical girl power-up sequence and a barrage of missiles.

**Magia Blast!**

All of this culminated in what looked be a bunch of balloons being thrown Piedmon's way. When they reached their target, they exploded in a mix of frills, confetti and hearts. No message about the virtues of friendship and hard work? Boo.

"MIRA doesn't have one at the moment." MIRA explained, as our focus shifted away from our combatants and to our usual heroes. Who at the moment, had parked themselves towards the edge of the ballroom.

"Dang." Sakura muttered and continued to focus on the current battle. "I guess there in a far different league than us."

"Yeah." Youko added, getting a glare from Mint. "Let me guess. You beg to differ?"

"I could totally take those bitches on."

Your joking right? Sure, you kicked the author's ass. Anyone could easily do that. Even Swaggy could do that! That's nothing. If anything, I bet we could've ended this all right quick during that abridged if weren't for that stupid perish song Jestery used. Yes, I'm still bitter.

"Shut up…" Mint muttered and got up, flipping the sky her middle finger. How exactly she thought this would help her is beyond me. Especially when she had no way to actually attack us. "Just shut the fuck up!"

Silence fell over the arena, with everyone's attention now on her. Normally, this was the sort of thing that she lived for, where she would apply her craft in order to bring those around to her way of thinking and keep them that way. But here, this was different. Already, the outcome of the fight had already been decided. There was no doubt that Victoria and her family would take down Piedmon. That much was certain. What wasn't certain though, was her own fate. While they didn't know where exactly in time and space they were at, the fact that they were in a ballroom seemed to suggest that they were in Great Britain, but when exactly? Knowing Piedmon, it was probably some time in the past…

She shook her head and took a deep breath, having gone quite off-topic from her original plan.

"Must you remind me of the crimes that I have commited? Why can't I catch a break?!"

Offscreen, Chaos took a deep breath. She muttered something to her wife. But instead of getting a shake of the head or response against it, she got confirmation of sorts. While asking why might be a good idea, it didn't matter to either of them at the moment. They could've easily done this with just the white mage, it seemed better for both of them to go. That, and they could just give commentary on the fly for what could possibly be one of the biggest matches in quite some time. Any other commentary could be done by someone else ;).

So with that, our two narrators made their appearance. For this occasion, Chaos had gone for her usual white dress with red patterning on the hem. Finishing off the look was her short red hair and violet eyes. Sachiko on the other hand, went with her usual green kimono. Her hair was all done up, just not as nice or extravagant as say... a maiko's. Though, her eyes seemed to

"Let me guess. Here to rub salt in the wound even more?"

But the white mage shook her head.

Which coincided with Sachiko joining her. Like Kuro Neko, she too had chosen to stand at the sidelines. In her case though, it was more of a case of preferring to attempt to settle down and have some peaceful days for once. But eventually, boredom kicks in. This to some extent, is what creates situations like this.

'We're sorry.' the white mage signed and mimed a deep breath, catching Mint by surprise.

"For what exactly?" the maid screamed and watched her supposed opponent take a step back. It was possible that was she was hoping for them to both pull their weapon out and attack. But instead, Chaos carefully wrapped her arms around Mint.

'For so long, I was to be the demon that everyone was gunning for.' Chaos continued, ignoring everything going on in the background and let her attention be split between just Mint and Sachiko. 'In much the same way that you gathered a group of people under one goal, I did much the same thing. Of course, I didn't get to far on that front.'

Another deep breath. This time from Sachiko. While possibly most removed of the three, she sort of understood what her wife was talking about. In between all

"What are you even getting at? Were somehow not so different?" Mint announced, only to get a nod. "If that's all you have to say, you can fu-"

But Sachiko shook her head. While Mint was a tough opponent, they could take her.

"What my wife is trying to say is that there are other options." the geomancer explained. "Sure, it'll take time and possibly a lot of commitment. You might mess up a couple times, but just get back up, kick the dust off and head out there once more."

Mint looked towards the pair. Which in turn, got the attention of the rest of the crowd. Or, it seemed to get their attention, at least. Whatever the case

"What are you offering then?"

Carefully, Chaos 'whispered' something to Sachiko who properly whispered it to their newfound 'friend'. A nod was what they got in return.

While that was all happening, the fight was reaching its conclusion. Jestery and MIRA had left the pair to settle their differences. Through violence of course.

"Good for her then." Piedmon muttered, pulling out a sword from the looks of things. "If I had knew you were pregnant, I would've made you hand over that egg."

Are we sure that would've been a good idea? If anything, you're just guaranteeing your defeat via a different method. Which is not something you ever want to do.

But it would seem that the black cat was just going to ignore that remark. Fair enough, I guess.

"Let's end this then." Victoria announced and pulled her blades back. The two then charged forward, blades meeting blades. But it wasn't so black and white. After all, there's still one trick that can be used here.

A single slice followed, with what looked to be Piedmon's privates falling to the floor. I guess that solves our problem.

"This is goodbye, asshole. For good." Victoria continued and got an embrace from Kuro.

_Hunt Complete!_

With that, Mint shot Airu a quick glance.

Hopefully, this wouldn't go across the wrong way. So she made her way over to her moms while Honey watched on.

"Would you mind if I spent some time with these two?" Mint inquired and watched her mother perk up. She mumbled something to Cho, who mumbled something back to her wife.

"Go on ahead." Airu answered, cracking a smile. "Show her a good time~"

"You can do it, Mommy!" Honey announced and got a nod in return.

With that, nearly everyone left. Well, Airu and her family did. As for the rest of us, we have a bit longer to wait. Then we'

"I guess you know something we don't?"

Chaos and Sachiko whistled (Chaos mimed it at least), which got them the approach of Victoria and co. Followed by a slap.

"Please leave." Victoria snarled and pulled her butterfly swords out. Chaos countered with her greatsword, which meant Sachiko had step in for the upteempth time. "Really?"

Both women looked towards each other, then back to their partners.

'Fine." both woman remarked (Chaos signed it, but you get the idea) and lowered their weapons. After, they made their way towards the exit. There, they found themselves in another hallway. Which will probably lead to some other area, or another hallway. Take your pick.

"You can stop now, Aunt Chaos and Sachiko." Jestery announced as she floated over her aunt. "We get it. You guys really love hallways. Could it kill you to have something else for once?"

For the record, we're not the ones designing these places. This is just an unintentional side effect of all these time shifts. Or perhaps order architecture has its roots here.

"Fine." Victoria remarked as the current room made a turn, dumping them out into what looked like a throne room. For some reason, a woman was just casually sitting on the throne. She was dressed in an elegant gown, the sort that seemed to remind one of elegance and beauty. A crown sat comfortably in her brown hair, which sort of complemented with her chocolate eyes. She seemed quite bored.

"Who goes there?" the woman announced and turned her attention to Victoria and company. "Are you assassins? Gua-"

Before she had a chance to even give the order, the black cat jumped into the air and slammed their butterfly swords into their chest. Was that really necessary? Couldn't we have just had Jestery do something about this. Unless...Crud. This couldn't happen any other way, could it? Fuck. I guess that means you'll be our ancestors then?

"I guess?" Victoria muttered and let her body revert to it's slime form. After that, it was just the simple matter of absorbing the body and taking a seat on the throne.

"What do you think?" she called out, her body now sort-of resembling the woman she had absorbed. Though, she looked more like an adult version of herself than someone else. At least the ballroom gown translated through.

"Beautiful." Kuro remarked, carefully getting into her wife's lap and began to make out. While they were doing that, Jestery got to work on her stepmother's garments. Like Victoria, she too got a ballroom gown. Hers was just more muted when it came to the color. "Thank you, nya."

This was also a good time to hide for the moment. Especially with the incoming guards.

"Queen Victoria! What in the blazes are you doing?!" a guard announced and got a look from their new queen.

"I am cuddling with my wife." Victoria countered and pulled a butterfly sword out. "As my first order as your new queen, all same-sex marriages are now legal."

The guards looked among each other as what looked to be the king of this place walked in. An arrow made surprisingly quick work of him.

"You guys suck at your job." Victoria continued and looked at the guards, eventually focusing on one that didn't quite look right. "Hey. Come over here."

The guard complied, making sure that their slightly baggy armor and uniform would not catch the queen's attention. Or at least, tried too.

"I'll let you in on a little secret."

The guard gave a nod, holding their ear close to the queen. They listened for a couple seconds, only to make their way back over. What followed was a flurry of motion and a pile of knocked out knights. The one sole remaining knight kneeled in front of their new masters, only for armor to shift into a steel blue dress. Their helmet disappeared, revealing the head of a woman. They looked to be in decent health.

"Spread your gift to the others, please."

She got a nod, only for the three 'non-family-members' to turn towards her.

"You can go now." the black cat announced, watching Chaos create a portal. The three then step through. "Finally."

The rest of her family slide out of the shadows, curious of what Victoria had in mind. They were even more surprised when the initial knight came back, leading back not more knights. Instead, she had brought along the ladies-in-waiting. Who had the strange punishment of

"Oh my." LadySucimon joked. "For someone who isn't a people person, you sure have quite a following."

Her partner blushed a bright shade of red, but laughed right after.

"Girls, find yourself a partner…" Victoria explained and watched them pair up. "For the rest of your service in this castle and outside of it, they are your number one priority. You will do everything together, 24/7. While you don't need to love each other, a good bond could mean the difference of life and death. Is that clear?"

She got a bunch of nods. Even if they didn't seem that confident, it was expected. These people were used to standing pretty

"You are now dismissed, ladies."

The woman made their exit, chatting all about their new orders. While some were a little concerned, others were seeming to be more focused in on their first look at their new uniforms or getting to know the woman beside them far better. Which I would consider a complete success.

Oh right. We need to make our exit. Uh… bye? Since this is the end of the chapter and all? Yeah, that works. Okay bye?

.

Following the rise of this new 'Queen Victoria', the empire went through a massive change. Once the law of same sex marriage was past and few could actually bring it down, the black cat set her gaze on the world of fashion. More specifically, the dresses that would become the statement of the actual Queen Victoria. Through a mix of an ad campaign and some more laws, both men and women now had to wear the dresses - ballroom or something similar. The only exceptions being those that were somehow unable to wear the dresses.

This was first seen as an outcry by most critics, but the public's response was actually quite positive - taking only a few years for a majority of the population to transition into the change. It was probably helped by advancements made in the design of the dress, allowing for one to use the under layers as storage of sorts. It also brought the rise of armored dress and suits, for those that needed the protection.

When she wasn't working on fashion, it was the diplomatic game of Queen Victoria that flourished. Sending envoys off to a place called 'Japan'. The gamble paid off, bringing both empires quite a bit of revenue on top of allowing for the eastern culture of the island nation to mesh with that of the Branaka Empire. Yes, that was the new name. It's not the first choice I would have gone with.

Sure, there might have been a war. Maybe two, but the damage sustained was far less than what could have been. The lady knights were quite a formidable fighting force, making up for their absurd outfits with a combat prowess few could match.

Even heading into modern times, the empire managed to hold onto its dress code and same sex marriages. It did add wannabe magical girl street shows, partially as a way to bring in tourists and to expand their robotics programs. Who knows what they'll dream up next.

"That's it." a young girl announced, watching for the crowd's reaction. Just one person clapped - a girl dressed in a strange garment. It wasn't a dress, but rather something loose that covered her body.

"You can sit down Chaos." the teacher announced, watching their student take a seat next to this mysterious girl. I wonder if they knew the exact future that awaited this pair? Possibly.

* * *

Notes:

I really liked how this chapter came out. Yes, is it probably a bit too fast-paced. But it did everything that it needed to do.

.

On our next date: It's the end? Or is this just the start of something?


	65. The end of Evil TK

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Out of all the things that Evil TK could ever have wanted to kill him for real this time (we think), Puppetmon was on the bottom of his list. Though having already died before, I doubt dying in general was in his mind at the moment.

"Thanks for that wonderful confidence boost." he muttered and knelt behind a sofa. Puppetmon was currently in the kitchen, judging by the sound of something getting crushed by heavy wood.

"I haven't had a snack like this in so long!" the puppet digimon announced, following it up with a swing of a hammer. "Now, where has TK gone? Is he here?"

Puppetmon swung his weapon into the cabinets, connecting with a bunch of precure-themed kiddie cups. You know, the sort that it seemed were given out by restaurants with some form of theming. They were always a good value, coming with a kids meal and maybe a toy. Do they still do that? I really hope so. Those were always the best, even if they generally frown upon giving them for adults. Which is just silly. They should have adult versions too. That way, everyone could be in on the fun. But I digress.

Thankfully, my wife's tangent didn't catch the puppet's attention. Which is for the best.

"Or perhaps here?!"

This time, it was the countertop that suffered the puppet's wrath. It wasn't even given time to book it. Not that it could, but you know.

"I guess?" TK whispered, carefully poking a gun above his barricade and fired off a shot. While he did managed to score a direct hit, the chances of firing off a second shot were now quite slim. Especially with his opponent's attention back on him.

"There you are!"

TK fired one more shot off, letting a curse word casually roll off his tongue. Especially as Puppetmon pulled his weapon back.

**Puppet Pummel!**

Four energy pellets shot forth from the puppet digimon's hammer. While not that harmful to ourselves or perhaps TK, they were disruptive to the house and any potential hiding spots. This included the very cover that he was using at the moment. So the gentlemanly asshole

"Whoever is making that racket, stop!" a voice announced. It was probably Astamon, maybe even Triceramon. "There are people trying to sleep here!"

The source of the voice got a glance from both fighters. While they could've easily helped, that was too hard at the moment. Or in Astamon's case at least, too destructive for the effort she would have to put in. Which I guess is a legitimate reason when compared to that of the mounts, who had decided that just sleeping while their masters were off in some unknown place. True loyalty at work here, folks. I just wonder what they'll do when they get back and find their house destroyed and the ones supposed to be guarding the asleep on the job.

Our rant fell on deaf ears. But that could be chalked up to the gunfire coming TK's pistols. While effective, it wasn't doing enough to actually put a proper dent to Puppetmon. It probably felt like a feather being waved across their body.

Especially since his opponent had gone through the trouble and upped their arsenal since they last fought.

"Surprised, TK?" Puppetmon taunted as he pulled the cross off his back. "I've had much time to practice for this day. I can't just let this end so quickly."

**Flying Cross Cutter!**

The cross flew forth like a boomerang, seeming intent on slicing the gentlemanly asshole in two. So TK did the natural thing in this situation.

He pistol whipped it. Which by some arcane miracle, didn't break the gun used in the process. It did however, knock the projectile to the ground. Which he then picked back up and threw it back towards the opponent. Making for a solid blow with just a piece of wood. It even had the added effect of shattering it into a million pieces.

"Not fair!"

The puppet got a chuckle as his answer. His attention returned to TK

"You brought a gun to a game of hide and seek." TK countered and glared towards Puppetmon. "Imagine what that does to a guy at such a young age. They're scared out of their mind, almost certain they might die and are just trying to escape. It's the sort of thing that breaks someone."

He could still remember it like yesterday.

The house with all it's winding and confusing corridors. The lack of proper places to hide. Puppetmon swinging around and firing off that stupid pistol of his wherever he went. All while everyone else struggled against that stupid puppet's trap. All this, just to get the two powerhouses to beat the crap out of each other. Because why not? That was all the reasoning they got back then. Anything more complex would have gone over their heads. Which possibly left a younger TK very confused and scared. Now though, it just made him angry.

"So what?" Puppetmon answered.

"So what?!" TK screamed and smashed his fist into his opponent's face. "I'll tell you what, all those nightmares of you gunning me down without a second thought really did wonders to my personality. Let's not even get on about the shit Devimon and Piedmon did. Or that stint I did as the digimon emperor. No, it was what made me the person I am today."

**Wires Choking!**

Even now, Puppetmon still fought dirty. Which in that particular case, meant attempting to choke TK out. With string of all of things. You would think he would go for something a bit more dramatic or something. Maybe he could pretend to be an assassin and go with fiber wire. Or perhaps just wire from a piano? The possibilities are endless here.

"Does this change it up for you?" Puppetmon snarled, let his best attempt at a smile form on his face. "You wanted me to change it up didn't you?"

A kick to the balls brought an end to that. Not a very strong one, mind you. But like much of this fight, that was to be expected.

"You're not helping."

Sorry. It's been a long day. So far, we had to move all the furniture, then get everyone out. Now, we just buried the hatchet with Mint and just had an elementary school flashback/exposition dump. After this, who really knows.

"Fair enough." TK started, only to realize what was said. "Let me guess, her suspicion was right on the money?"

Yep.

TK took a deep breath and focused back on his opponent.

"This isn't good, but I guess it doesn't matter at this point." he thought and pointed his guns towards Puppetmon. "Eat this."

What followed, was both of his firearms going full-auto. Or a close approximation of it. Though, the result is still the same in all aspects of this. What had once been an ultimate digimon, had now been reduced into a pile of wood and metal. And to add insult to injury, the gentlemanly asshole lit said pile on fire with a match. Good riddance to that, if you ask both of us.

"Thanks, I guess."

_Hunt Complete!_

TK stared at the message for a few brief seconds, only to pull his phone out right after. He dialed the number, every part of his body feeling quite ready to give out on him.

"Please get through." he thought and listened to tones and beeps. While he had hoped they would be back by now, something told him otherwise.

"This is Queen Victoria, what can I do for you?"

TK let out a deep breath, only to realize what he had just heard.

"Let me guess, you did something major to the timeline?"

Chuckling came through.

"What gave you that impression?" Victoria joked, following it up with a sigh of sorts. "If it helps, you might get Ken this time around."

TK blushed a bright shade of red. While he wouldn't say that there was any possible love in the air between the two men whatsoever… He would absolutely kill for a chance to see his friend in the flesh once more.

"I stand by my promise." he continued, everything growing dizzy. "Anything else that I can do for you, your majesty?"

More chuckling. But this time, it seemed like the good sort. We think.

"What are you even doing?" TK remarked as a wave of nausea to came over him. To answer his question, getting set back up in an old home. Depending on how much you can remember (we'll put in a good word and hope for the best), you'll get to see it. "Sounds good."

He crumpled to the floor with a smile on his face, letting this unknown force pull him to another world.

Which coincided seconds before when Airu and company would appear.

.

In the distance, Agni watched.

"Of course they manage to slip on through." he muttered, his gaze turning to a photo of a woman. It was one he treasured most of all, the only reminder Agni kept to remind him of her. "Don't you worry, Morva. I'll get them."

His attention shifted away from the photo and over to his phone. A bit of dialing followed, with the caller eventually answering.

"Yes?" they answered, their voice reminiscent of that of a lion.

"I have a job for you."

The sound of a barstool being kicked away echoed through on Agni's end. A smile formed on the chosen's face as he hung up. While his minions had messed up now, soon they would have some form of victory.

* * *

Notes:

Here to you, Evil TK. You've done well. *Salutes*

.

On our next date: Death is just a fancy word for redistribution of things...


	66. We are all Butterflies

I don't own digimon.

* * *

Date 66

We are all butterflies

On the other side, TK opened his eyes.

Gone was the Suzaki's home, having been replaced with the strange void where mystical changes in the timeline occur. Strangely, the boat was roped off for today. But considering it had only really been used twice so far, maybe it was for the best.

"That's nice."

Then his gaze met a group of figures. They were a familiar group, for better or worse. I guess this is as much their end as it is his.

"If you had told me that everyone would be here, I would've gotten into my nicer outfit." he joked, followed it up with a deep breath. It's alright to cry.

But as his gaze passed over each of his fallen friends, he was leaning towards the latter. They had all seen better days, looking like they had been through hell and back.

"We wish you the best." 'Sora' announced and made her way over, images passing through his head. While a majority of them came from their initial adventure in the digital world, there was some from the 'second trip' as well. As in that time he got to play ruler and arranged a coup-d'etat against Ken. "Show this world the potential within you."

She then walked on, fading into ash. After, the gentlemanly asshole made a brief glance down towards his skin, finding it to be quite smooth now. He could just make out the smell of lemon upon it as well.

Next came Joe. Outside of that the one moment during Myotismon's invasion, he didn't have much in the way of huge moments with the doctor. Well, outside of that airship falling upon him. Looking back, he regretted that. It was a dumb stupid decision in a string of what seemed like a never-ending nightmare of a messy day.

"I'm sorry." he whispered and got a head shake in return. "If I had kn-"

But Joe didn't let him finish his sentence. Instead, he grabbed hold of his body and granted him a hug. TK returned the favor as best he can.

"It's alright." the doctor whispered, a slanted smile now on his face. "We all make mistakes, but that's what growing up is all about!"

With that, the doctor headed. So that he too could become ash.

"Huh." TK mumbled, not at all noticing his proportions become slightly curvy. While he wanted to get the fullest of his corset, there was a certain limit in the ratio of tightness to comfort that he wasn't quite ready to cross yet.

His brother came next, giving just a reassuring nod as he reached his brother. TK gave a nod back as Matt exited stage left. While the robot wolf thing could have easily said more, what was said was more than enough. Especially since Matt was covered in a fluid that was probably acidic and dirty his garments if the two got close.

He was focusing so much on that, that Matt fading into ash didn't really bother him.

What the gentlemanly asshole didn't notice, was his body shrinking slightly and a pair of 'melons' growing forth from his chest. The added weight did tip him off, resulting in a quick check of how real these things were. Then it was back to focusing on the remaining members of the group.

Kari was next in line. Out of everyone here, she was the one person who TK was probably the most conflicted with. While the odds of getting this particular version of his wife were next too none, it was something that he was willing to give it a shot. And while an attempt was made, the connection just wasn't there. Neither had really liked the other, with their feelings focused on other people.

"May your path always have some form of light." she started, planting a kiss on her former boyfriend's lips. "Whether that come from within yourself or from the bonds you form with those around you."

Like the others, she headed and turned to ash. But unlike the past visitors, hers seemed to affect the chosen differently. While most of them had left little in the way of memories, there was something more for him here. He closed his eyes for a brief second and took the time to reflect. If he waited long enough, maybe the tears would just go away. Then she could compose himself and continue on with this ritual of sorts.

But all did was give his whole face a more feminine look. You know, bigger lips, rosy cheeks, luscious eyebrows, etc. Just enough to be seen 'female', but not enough to give off the impression that the lady gunner was trying to compensate for something.

"Of course." he remarked and cracked a smile. Which occured right as he lost his privates. No black cat required this time.

Next was Yolei, who just gave a wink and made a 'call-me' motion. Which was odd motion to make, but this is Yolei we're talking about. It wouldn't surprise either of us if she was secretly a nymphomaniac. Especially with all those potential kids in alternate timelines.

"Maybe?" Tk answered, his hair shifting into large curl 'drills'. It even got a bit of a dirty blonde color. While it did sort of look out of place on him at the moment, he kind of liked it. "How am I going to tell her?"

He took a deep breath, trying to sound as graceful and feminine as he could. She would need to break news sooner or later to the poor girl, now probably wasn't the best time to do it.

Cody was next to come, giving his jogress partner a silent hug. and joined Yolei in the ash. That just left two people. Both of which, TK had mixed feeling about.

"Oh my." the timekeeper announced, messing around with a paddle ball of all things. If you squinted, one could still see the spots where the bullets landed. "I guess I should seen this coming. You out of everyone here mostly definitely deserve this retirement."

He looked his friend over, getting a glare in return.

"You'll make a good wive for Kathy, Talia." Davis announced as he watched "TK's" clothes turn into goop, reforming into a ballroom gown of sorts. The front showed off the layers of cyan petticoats, with the rest of the yellow dress seeming to flow down to the ground. And while you couldn't see it, a pair of matching yellow heels with cyan stockings now adorned Talia's legs. Add in the cyan opera gloves and emerald wedding band on her finger, it would seem that she was ready. "Of course, I'm not the one who's going to be the judge of that. But one more thing."

He pulled a box out and lifted the top off.

"Your pistols." he continued and watched Talia pull a gun out, giving it a quick glance. Compared to the guns she, Makoto and the many other sharpshooters in the Digitalverse had carried around on their travels, these particular ones appeared to have been based off pocket revolvers. They had been painted a bright shade of indigo with cyan accents to boot. And while based off such an old-school weapon, they were probably in magical tto an extent. "Are they up to your standards, your majesty?"

Talia slipped one into a secret compartment in her dress, firing the other one towards her former opponent a couple times. If it helped, she at least took the time to aim the weapons to the area around the timekeeper. But that isn't saying much.

"Absolutely." the lady gunner remarked as a pain in her head formed. "Let me guess, my old memories?"

A nod.

"While they will be altered, your status as 'narrator' along with your relationships to certain people will remain unaltered. Outside of the fact that they now have two sets of memories: One for the past you, the other for the you standing before me right now." Davis explained, giving the lady gunner a quick wink. "Of course, they may have gone through similar transformations."

Talia gave a nod, only to put a hand on her friend and grab hold.

"Oh no you don't." she muttered and watched the timekeeper's expression change slightly. Yet for some reason, Davis accepted it. Especially since she wasn't giving him much of a choice in this regard. "You're coming with me and that's final."

On saying that last word, the body of the resident time traveler began to change. Much like what happened to Talia, his body began to take on the proportions of a lady. Unlike his mistress however, she was shorter and flatter.

"Boo." Timekeeper whispered, watching a pair of silk dark blue opera gloves form on her arms and hands. A layered pinafore dress appeared right after, going with a white 'apron' for the top layer and the rest being yellow and indigo. "Miss Talia, I feel… good."

Talia chuckled. While her grip remained unchallenged, her friend allowed her to pull a tiny bit.

"Why Of course, Diana." she answered, not all caring that a sapphire band had joined her wedding band. If anything, she had wanted it to happen. "Now that your maid training is complete, you can be our wife without anyone doubting your place in the castle."

Diana's face turned a bright shade of pink, gaining an inch or two thanks to her angled pumps. How could she have forgotten such a feat? It was one of the reasons she had stuck it out, to truly love the two most important woman in her life along with those they cherish just as much.

"Thank you, yo-"

Before she had a chance to finish her sentence, Talia got to the back of her servant wife and began to style her hair. Gone was the spiky mess, getting replaced with a pair of long pigtails.

"How many times have I told you? You do not need such honorifics when you're around me."

Diana realized her mistake, curtsying right after.

"There you two are!"

The duo turned around, finding themselves in the presence of another woman.

Like Talia, she was dressed in an exquisite ballroom gown. Unlike Talia or even Diana, hers was indigo with gold accents. Matching opera gloves and stockings covered her arms and legs, with a pair of gold heels just barely visible under the layers of yellow petticoats. A whip hung at her side, ready for use against that dared to get too close to any of the people she loved.

Her black hair had been tied into a bun, with a pair of beautiful gray eyes taking both the lady gunner and their guardian maid in. But what Talia was focusing more on, was the emerald wedding band on her finger and the sapphire band beside it. Beside it were two similar bands - a ruby and a diamond.

"Kathy?" she called out and the woman jumped forward, knocking her to the ground with a huge hug. Thankfully, Diana was unscathed, I guess?

"Talia! Diana!" the woman announced as both her wives perked up. "I'm sorry about what happened on the airship exercise."

Talia shook her head, sitting herself up in the process. Diana made sure to give them the proper space. As one of the pair's other wives, this was not a matter for her to discuss. It would make for some good gossip, though.

"I forgive you." Talia answered. "You are beside my side once more. That's all that matters."

Carefully, Kathy helped her up.

"Why aren't you wearing your usual accessories? You can't quite be the Neko Empress dressed like that."

Kathy gave a chuckle, a cat ear headband and tail appearing in Diana's hands. That was on top of the frilly headband with its silver thread and sapphire clasps, looking like a makeshift tiara and signifying as one of the pair's other wives. She handed the accessories over, watching the pair

"Better?" Kathy remarked and cracked a smile. "You can help me put the paws once we're back home."

Talia gave a nod, only for the two to find themselves not in the strange void, but now in the bedroom of a castle. Just barely, the zeroes and ones could be made out within, not that it bothered any of the girls in the slightest. As the Lady Knights premier training AI's, such little things were more for the students to worry about.

"Welcome home." Kathy responded and pulled Talia in, their lips meeting in absolute bliss. Somehow,

After, they got the empress's paws on next. "Now, let's get back to work. I think there's some people who would like to see us."

.

A truck sits outside a building.

It's driver steps on out. For this particular journey, they had gone with a cerulean cloak with a matching dress underneath. A similarly colored curved witch hat sat on her head, going quite well with the blue eyes staring out towards everything. Blonde hair flowed down towards the middle of their back, with a pair of thin blue boots finishing it off.

I'm not sure if I like your new look, master.

"Why?"

It just doesn't seem right. I get that this is a new start for all of us. But after so long seeing you dressed so normally, this just seems… off. I get what you're to go with, it isn't quite you yet.

"I'm a conjurer now, Chaos." the driver muttered and made a glance down to their bracelets, "Sure, the dark magician girl cosplay kind of looks odd on me, but it'll just be for today. Then I'll try and figure out a proper look."

That got them a groan.

"I'm just trying to look on the bright side of things." they continued and walked to the back of the truck. "Also, it's Cia for the foreseeable future."

Another groan. This time, it was slightly more justified. While you're not quite our master, you're not quite our father or mother. What does that really make you then?

"Uh… caretaker?" Cia continued and pulling their notebook out. They wrote a couple things down and opened the back of the truck up. There, they pulled the box out and begin what would be quite a number of trips in and out. Especially since the 'children' weren't quite willing to help at the moment.

"If you don't come help me, I will change your outfits!"

Still no answer.

"Fine then."

They wrote some more down into the notebook and closed it.

"You better help me now."

Judging by the reaction, that just about did it.

* * *

Notes:

Change can be good some times. Even if it seems like a bad thing.

As for Ririsu and Hikari, they're in the kitchen making breakfast. But only because they got up before their significant others and wanted to surprise them. In the future most likely, you'll get to see them and their partners. Though, something is coming to Ex-Conqueror Diaries.

As for the moment at the end, I couldn't resist dressing my own avatar character as dark magician girl. Back to regular black cat for me.

.

On our next date: Back to the old grindstone.


	67. Picking up the pieces

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

For our heroes, a nap sounded quite wonderful. Of course, with the state that their home currently sat in, it was unlikely that would happen.

Even as they stood in what was still the kingdom of Uroboros, it was quite clear that something had changed here. For starters, what had once been their neighborhood now seemed to look like a walled-off kingdom with what looked to be it's stores, amenities and of course, homes. I guess this make it's their own nation or something? Hopefully your passports or something are up to date.

While the Suzaki's home had remained untouched for the moment, it would seem that the rest were in the middle of renovation to take on an appearance of something from the past rather than modern times. Hopefully, there using building codes that are up to snuff with the times. It would truly suck if they did all that work and were unable to put anyone in because of improper paint or something.

Back at the house, things seemed normal enough. Outside of Sakura and Jesmon just examining the buildings for further reference materials when that time came.

"Kind of looks like a tornado ran through here, Sugar." Cho whispered and got a nod from Airu. Carefully, the family and their friends made their way towards the front door, with Sakura being the one to open it up. Inside, things were not quite as nice and hopeful as they expected them to be.

Gunshots and black powder burns lined the walls, with a good chunk of the furniture looking to have been used in an american wrestling match. You know, the scripted dramas where people beat the crud out of each other for some reason. Something like that.

Outside of that, the kitchen had seen the most of damage out of everything here. What remained of the cabinets was currently mourning the loss of their siblings. The appliances were untouched, which meant the food had to be as well. Well, we hope so at least. It would be quite rude for either of those fighters having a snack that wasn't theirs.

Thankfully, most of the damage had been contained to the first floor. Though, there were a couple fires somehow. Which had the unintentional consequence of attracting the attention of some of Airu's dolls. They were making smores and hot dogs using what looked like some of the wreckage from the earlier battle.

"Want some?" one of the dolls (probably Cure Felice) announced and held out a hot dog for Hinoka to try. She knelt down and giving it a slight feel. Then she shook her head and handed the hot dog back. All while the Cure Ace doll was showing off her aerial maneuvers. While flipping her 'sister' and her wife off. Who was also Cure Ace's wife to boot. Yeah. She is a complete moron and douchebag among her teammates. Which is saying something, especially in regards to Regina and Cure Heart.

"I'll agree with you there." Airu remarked and made a quick glance towards her favorite couple. During the time that they were out, the doll couple had managed to get dressed back in their usual outfits. All while dealing with the struggles of dealing with Heart's other wives and preparations for a wedding. Not theirs, at least. We've already lived through that. "Wait… Who's getting married now?"

My lips are sealed. Maybe you should just wait and see?

That answer didn't seem to sit well with Airu. Mostly after all that had happened, it was nice to know what was going on with some big mystery about it.

"Fine…"

Cho let out a chuckle, giving Airu a pat on the back.

"Will probably find out soon enough, Sugar." Cho added as their attention returned to Hinoka. Currently, she was in the middle of lecturing

"It needs to be warmed up a bit more." the mage explained. "Though, I don't think my parents or Miss Rose like that there is currently a fire in the middle of their room."

Everyone's attention then turned to the dolls attempt at a 'party'. While only consisting of five or six dolls going about this strange ritual, they seem to be quite entranced in it. As if they were trying to make a sacrifice. Which appeared to be one of the Happiness Charge Cure dolls. Which is complete overkill.

"Get me out of here!" Cure Princess announced, possibly more mad that she didn't get her hotcakes rather than the fact that she was currently being burned alive. Of course, her teammate/girlfriend was watching on in her red dress. All while clicking her castanets and dancing about. "Hime!"

"Boo." the doll muttered and turned to Airu. "Hey. Those new dolls are now out. Could you please get them?"

Airu looked towards the doll for a second

"You mean Marcherie and Amour?" Airu answered and got a nod in return. "Wait. There finally out?"

The Felice doll gave her a confused glance. While it was probably used to the sometimes confusing and counterintuitive ways of her predecessors, this seemed to throw her for a loop. She was a goddess (well based off of one) with insider information (she looked it up online).

"You think I'm pulling your leg?" Felice continued, floating up slightly. But not enough to actually be on the same level as Airu's head That would be asking too much out of her. "I promise you that in no way, I am not."

She gave the thumbs-up sign right after. Which got her a reluctant sigh from her owner in return.

"Understood." Airu answered and turned to her teammates. "Who's up for a trip to the mall?"

Everyone's hands rose up. Even Astamon, who hadn't gotten to be inside at the moment, had their hand up. Of course, there was a couple of things they needed to do before such a trip was possible. The biggest of which was going upstairs and making sure that nothing had been changed and/or destroyed as a result of the fight.

After grabbing the maid costumes off of the table, the group carefully made their way upstairs. While the stairs were still in a usable state, the railing was another story. Parts of it were now missing and all the spindle-looking things had removed quite forcibly. Kind of rude on this bandit's part. There probably not even worth anything to begin with. Truly an idiot they must be.

"Just add it to the list of things we need to fix." Jesmon announced as his partner showed off their dance moves to Delia. Which weren't half bad. A little rusty, though.

"I've seen better, mommy." she whispered as they watched Airu and company head upstairs. But not Hinoka.

Upstairs, things looked mostly untouched. But that didn't mean their wasn't changes in store for them.

The biggest of note, was the set of boxes sitting in front of Airu and Cho's door. While they kind of normal for cardboard containers, they were marked with what appeared to be face with a mohawk. Which wasn't what I would put on there. But that's just us.

"Now what?" Airu whispered and Cho shot her a glance. While she did know what her wife did for a living, she doubted their teammates actually knew "I'm not sure why the dark emporium would be sending us stuff these days."

Her teammates did a double take, which confused the trapper. While sure, it wasn't the biggest secret in the world. Especially when it came in regards to the parts of the store that she was actually allowed to go. It was just her register and that was it. Any further and she might end up in a place that she didn't belong or could get her killed.

"That was kind of anti-climatic." Cho whispered and gave Airu a light kiss. The trapper returned the favor. "Though, that doesn't explain why they sent you these boxes."

Carefully, Airu opened up the first box and revealed what looked to be fabric. She pulled it up and revealed it to be…

Two of those lady knight dresses that Victoria was having those girls wearing. They looked to be in her and Cho's sizes. But there was only one way to truly to find out.

"You ready?" she inquired. Cho gave a nod and the two were off, making sure to grab the heels and ribbons along the way. "We'll be back out in a sec!"

"Have fun, you two." Ren joked as they watched their friends close their door. After, he let his return to Miki. "How are you holding up?"

Miki gave a nod.

"Quite good, actually." the bodyguard explained and made her way over to the bomber. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

Ren shook his head and pulled his phone out. After dialing, it was up by his ear.

"Hey Blossom." he whispered, hearing the sound of his boyfriend on the other end. At the moment, he was probably hanging in a hammock. "How have you been?"

A chuckle followed by what the bomber assumed to be a smile.

"The house is built now." the magical boy explained and was quite quite happy with his accomplishments. Not it could be blamed. "I see my mom, from time to time. Anything interesting happen for you?"

Miki gave Ren a look, possibly not wanting him to tell his boyfriend. I could only wonder why. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that they just got off of another hunt and stuff. Nah, that can't be it. She was probably just jealous or something.

"We had another hunt, but that's it." he explained and got a chuckle in return.

"Thanks for checking in with me." Blossom answered and hung up, which came right as Ryouma's attention turned to one of the boxes. She made her way over, trying her hardest to work at the tape.

"Shouldn't you wait?" Ren remarked and got no answer. But the doll pointed to the front of the box. No stupid mohawk symbol was displayed here. Instead, the only marking was a simple label written in ink.

'Hiroshi's Stuff'

"So that's what happened to this stuff." she whispered and carefully opened the box open, diving right on in. I guess she didn't bring her doll friend with her on the latest trip. Or is this just a case of time shifts making absolutely no sense at all. "Now where is she?"

Action figures and mecha dolls began to be thrown out of the box with some level of care.

"Uh… What are you looking for?" Miki inquired as she ducked, avoiding a flying Optimus Prime. Which was then followed by a couple gundam robots.

"It's one of those frame arm girl model things." Ryouma continued, carefully setting down one of those digivolving spirits model - Angewomon, I believe on the floor. "Not one of the main group, mind you."

One of those transformers things joined Angewomon. Windblade, I believe.

"Here it is."

Carefully, she pulled out a plastic figurine and cradled it in her arms. A white tutu clung to its body, with a pair of yellow pumps on the feet. A pair of long pink twintails were enhanced with a pair of yellow eyes.

"Does she have a name, by any chance?"

Ryouma looked up, finding Airu and Cho dressed in their new outfits. Compared to the maid outfits they tried on more hours before, these ones were reminiscent of something that a woman in Victorian times would probably wear. Of course that didn't stop them from making the garments pink and purple respectively. Especially if you looked close and saw all the intricate lace, ruffles and other small details you probably wouldn't have thought about when creating such garments.

Overall, they were nice. Too nice, if you ask us.

"Going to have to agree with you there." Airu added and shifted the gown slightly. While they didn't look uncomfortable in the dresses, it was probably something that you had to break in and wear for a long time. Both of which our pair had little of right now.

"Tabitha." Ryouma finally whispered, letting a deep breath out right after. "It was just before the incident too."

Airu and Cho shot her a confused glance. While they understood all the words that came out, put together they left them at a blank, memory-wise. So they let their attention stay on her for the moment. Or not.

"I guess I should probably tell you guys." Ryouma answered, watching the owners of this particular room fling their dresses off and revealed their regular clothes below. After making sure those outfits were inside their room and in their closet, Airu and Cho sat down. Ren and Miki did something similar. "Now…"

* * *

Notes:

Oh boy.

.

On our next date: How Hiroshi became Hinoka


	68. Hiroshi and Ryouma

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

This whole mess started a couple years ago.

Back then, it was a much simpler time. When bakugan was still sort of a franchise in Japan and those toys were everywhere, especially with the second season of the show now in full-swing. Digimon-wise, the franchise was currently in the doom and gloom of not having anything to show for themselves. Sure, they didn't know that Xros Wars was around the corner, or that it would usher in a new era for the digimon franchise (for better or worse). On the precure side of things, Heartcatch was gleefully on it's way to charm itself into everyone's hearts along with their wallets.

But that is not what our story is focusing on today. Far from it, to be honest with you. This is not a story with a happy ending.

When Ryouma landed this time, she had found herself in the middle of a rainstorm. Mere hours before, she had exited whatever machine the Tanaka's had used to create the copies and given her mission. Right now, everything felt quite fuzzy and almost... disorienting to an extent. At least she was no longer a soul floating out in some abyss. She even got her old body. Though, she was more than willing to choke someone out if it got her that stupid bodysuit with the butt zipper among other things. Like seriously, who in their right mind decided that was necessary. Not us, that's for sure.

"What did you do this time, Airu?" she muttered and grabbed hold of her suitcase. While the doll didn't quite recognize where exactly in Japan she was currently, that could be solved by calling either her partner or even… the queen of dolls. "Here goes nothing."

Very carefully, Ryouma dialed the first number and held the cell phone up to her ear.

One ring.

Two rings.

Three rings.

By the third, she was tempted to fling her phone into the quickly forming puddles and start walking.

"We're sorry. The number you were trying to call at the moment does not exist yet. If this is somehow a mistake on our part, do tell us." the automated voice explained and Ryouma took a deep breath. Smoothing out her party dress,she got back to dialing.

This time, there was only one ring to really worry about.

"Not now. Hang up."

Just as quickly as Ryouma had gotten a hold of this enigma of a woman, she had hung up on her.

So she did the natural thing in this situation. Grab her suitcase and head off to somewhere.

"Watch me, world!" Ryouma shouted and took a step forward, only to fall into a puddle. "Dang it!"

So she tried to pull herself out, only to fall back down a mere step later. And to make matters worse, the rain decided that it was going to increase its intensity. Since you know, things had gone so well for her today.

That didn't seem to stop Ryouma from continuing to at least try. No, it just seemed to make her want to want to reach her goal even more. Sooner or later, the rain just had to stop and then the clouds would go away, revealing the sun above. Then progress could be made. But it was the rain that eventually won out in this battle, engulfing the doll and forced her eyes shut. But when it seemed like the end was coming for her...

"What's this?" a voice announced and a hand grabbed hold of her, pulling Ryouma forth from her watery grave.

"Airu?" she inquired, but got no answer. She did feel the general movements of something, but she wasn't quite sure what it was exactly. "Where are you taking me?"

A chuckle, then followed by silence. Quite a long bit of silence, to be exact. If she hadn't known better, she had thought this was the end.

But eventually her hero stopped and they knelt down, placing the doll on something in the process. A bit later, Ryouma's eyes shot open.

"Now where am I?" Ryouma whispered and began examining the room. Gone was the wet streets of what she believed to be Japan, having been replaced with a bedroom of some kind. Pictures of mecha and robots had been plastered over the walls, going quite well with the variety of action figures sitting upon shelves.

Of course, there was the matter of the occupant of this room. It was a young boy, dressed in a plain shirt and tan shorts. He had short blondish brown hair with a pair of truffle-colored eyes that had a bit of sparkle to them. Something about him felt warm, comforting even to an extent.

"Hi?" she called out and watched the young boy perk up.

"Hi!" he announced and carefully cradled Ryouma in his arms, pulling her up from her place. "I'm Hiroshi! What's your name?"

His newfound toy took a deep breath. While by no means her standards of living, she could get used to this. Maybe.

"Ryouma." she answered and gave her new owner a hug. "It's nice to meet you."

What followed, was a lot of moving around. Some of it was crawling on the floor. The rest was rolling and hoping that you didn't hit something. Which Ryouma was quite bad at, surprisingly. You would think she would have some level of depth perception (being a doll and all), but that was far from the case. Of course, one of the people she was looking for had decided to make their entrance.

"Oh hi, Ryouma." Airu announced as she made her way inside. "How are you doing?"

Carefully, the doll got up and looked towards her teammate. Quite clearly, she could see the word 'fag' written on the trapper's forehead, with the word 'bitch' below it. Scratches and marks seemed to cover her body, a reminder of something or other. Which was on top of all the water dripping from her body.

"What happened to you?" Ryouma remarked, getting a sigh in return.

"I got into a fight protecting Cho." the trapper whispered, turning towards her door. "Have you seen her, by any chance?"

Ryouma shook her head.

"I sent her ahead, mostly so she wouldn't get in trouble." Airu continued, staring down towards her hands. Tears began to roll down her face. "I hope she's alright…"

Before the doll had a chance to inquire further, Airu ran into her room.

"Aru?" Hiroshi called out and watched Ryouma make her way over. "Rose?"

While not her name, the doll could live with it.

"Yes?"

"Where are you going?"

Ryouma took a deep breath. While she wasn't entirely sure how to approach this, she needed to make sure that her friend was alright. Especially if she wanted to keep living here for the foreseeable future.

"I'm going to check on your sister." she continued. "She had to be really strong in the face of the monsters that wished to break her."

The words roll out and Hiroshi sort of understands.

"Why?"

Ryouma's gaze shifted to the floor, then it was back to the boy.

"She believes in something so true, that others wish to hurt her in retaliation for speaking out against it."

That explanation was not the best. But it'll do.

"You can do it, big sis!" Hiroshi shouted as he watched Ryouma make her way towards Airu and Cho's room.

What followed, was the doll's best impression of a kangaroo. And no, she didn't make the related joke. She probably didn't even understand what the narrators were talking about in that regard. But eventually, she managed to peek a glance through and almost did a double take.

Currently, Cho was dressed up as some character from anime that didn't quite exist at the time. If we had to make a guess, she had gone as a wannabe Cure Magical. Airu on the other hand, was laying in the nude on their bed, letting her future wife examine her. At the moment, they seemed to be making a promise of some sorts and looked about ready to make out. While cleaning

"Good. She's alright." Ryouma thought and made her way back over. When the doll got there, she did a double take. Somehow, Hiroshi had managed to get into her suitcase, which she didn't remember bringing in. I guess it came in with whoever picked her up. Which was quite nice of them.

At the moment though, Hiroshi was trying on one of her dresses. It was a red one, with a layer of frills and a petticoat to boot. He had tried to get the little mary janes with their buckles on, but seemed to fail on that front. I guess little hands aren't designed for such shoes.

"Would you like some help with these?" Ryouma inquired and got a nod. Carefully, she knelt down and guided the shoes on and snapped the buckles in. After, she took a step back and admired her handywork.

"Thank you." Hiroshi answered and picked up the doll, holding her close. With the added bonus of getting their photo taken by Youko.

"One more please?" she inquired and got her wish. Though, that does leave us with an interesting question

If Ryouma had known then the seeds she had planted within Hiroshi that day, would she have still done it the same way?

But no answer comes. Not that a rhetorical question would need such an answer. Back to the story.

First grade came around far too quick for Ryouma's liking. Sure, it was beautiful to see the toddler grow into a young boy. Especially one that was so gifted in sewing. But it brought with it a big issue - Show and Tell.

At such a young age, would bringing a doll when the expectation is something like say a stuffed animal or even an action figure be a big deal? Maybe, but people are quite unpredictable in n that regard.

"Are you sure that you want to go through with this?" she inquired, getting a nod from her owner. "You know what they can possibly do to dolls like me."

Hiroshi gave a nod, motioning for Delia to come in.

"If something goes wrong, that's what bigger sis is for!" he announced, holding his hand out to welcome the lilithmon in. Even if Ryouma wasn't quite certain she even had anything that would either fit or was even school appropriate at all.

"Of course I have school appropriate stuff!" Delia shouted and ran off, only to come back in what looked to be one of Airu's school uniforms. "This counts right?"

I guess? As long as it falls into the standards set by the school, you should be fine. While I don't think Hope's Peak is really a school that you want to be advertising, but what do we know?

Having heard that, Delia nodded.

"Is it a deal then?" Hiroshi inquired and got a nod from Ryouma in return. He perked up, switching into a red nightgown in place of his regular clothes. "Awesome! Goodnight bigger sis, goodnight Ryouma."

Hiroshi turned the lights off, which was Ryouma's cue to get changed herself. So she did, getting on a similar red nightgown. After, it was just a matter of getting up into bed with Hiroshi.

"I can do this." she thought and let her eyelids slide shut.

Night shifted to day, bringing with it the rays of light and chirping of birds. Carefully, the two got up and dressed. Then it was carefully packing of the bag. Especially since neither wanted this day to go horribly wrong.

But that was asking for too much for the trio as they entered the classroom, everyone's eyes right on them. In an age before

"What have you brought us today, Ryouma?" the teacher inquired, watching her student make their way to the back of the room. Which served as the 'front' of the class.

"This is Ryouma." Hiroshi announced and Ryouma gave a wave. "She's my best friend."

Silence. Then laughter.

"Hiroshi is a girl!"

"Doll lover!"

One by one, the other students chimed in, spewing their hateful speech without a second thought or care in the world. Hiroshi tried his best to stay upright. But eventually, he collapsed to the ground and began cradling Ryouma in his arms. Which only seemed to make it worse.

What followed next, the doll wasn't quite sure. While she didn't quite remember closing her eyes, she must've had at some point. There was also the matter of the three of them being the only ones in the room. But something about

"What happened to everyone?" she had inquired, watching Delia try and hide the tears on her face. She failed miserably.

"They went to a better place." the mega responded. "But the better question is, are you and Hiroshi alright?"

Ryouma made a quick glance down at herself. While she looked alright, inside she felt far from it. Whatever she had seen wasn't gone. No, it was still here. Waiting for them to let their guards down and strike from behind. But for now, she would have to let it rest.

Of course, there was still Hiroshi to worry about.

"Why didn't they like me?" the boy whispered, watching Ryouma make her way over. "I just wanted to show them Ryouma."

So Ryouma held her hands out, hoping that would get her something. But no, that got no answer.

"Are you alright?" she had called out, going without an answer. Her friend wouldn't even take the time to look at her, let alone make the simplest of grunts to denote… something. But who wouldn't be? This sort of thing fucks everyone equally in the end. Doesn't matter who you are or what you do.

The weeks no, months following this seemed to bring with it only melancholy and gloom. While Airu and Cho's relationship was blossoming into something far greater, her's seemed to be at a standstill. Yes, she had more time to play with Hiroshi, but it just didn't feel the same. He had begun to dress more and more in outfits that he had sewn than those brought for. While his seamesstry was improving rapidly, it came at a cost. More and more, it felt as if Hiroshi was shutting her and the rest of the family out. Her room was a similar story, taking on a cross between a dress store and a mecha hangout. Dress and other feminine garments would be thrown all about, while mecha and robot models sat patiently on shelves.

The sole bed in the room was more than big enough for the two, but mostly looked used by one.

The vanity was the same story. Sure, Hiroshi could easily let a second person have their turn, but nah. Ryouma had a little doll-sized one. Finishing off the room, was a framed picture. While drawn in crayon, you could clearly what looked like a girl playing with a doll. While it clashed with a lot of the stuff in the room, both occupants seemed to like it.

Of course, life seemed to have other ideas for them. Before they really knew it, their last day 'together' came. If she had known, maybe Ryouma would've taken the time to truly savor it. Perhaps even asking Hiroshi and Delia what really happened that particular day.

At first, things started out on a happy note.

"I got you two something!" a voice announced and Airu walked in. At the moment, the trapper was holding a box in her hands. Compared to the earlier flashback, she was at least in a far better mood and didn't look like she had gone through hell or something. Though, that could be chalked up to the Go Princess! Precure (yes, that was what they had went with) doll set that was awaiting it's chance to be opened up. "It might be a little tricky for both of you, but I believe in you!"

With that, Airu headed onto her own room and left the pair to their own devices. For this particular occasion, Hiroshi had dressed himself in a gothic lolita dress he had sewn up himself. His face was covered in a thick of white costume face paint and mascara, threatening to drip should a single tear ever exit his face.

Ryouma on the other hand, went the opposite direction for her particular style - going for a sweet-style of outfit. Sure, it was a little bit cliche especially in the presence of her friend's fashion choices, but it had been one of the few gifts she had gotten from Hiroshi. So it kind-of balanced out in her book.

"Let's see here…" Hiroshi remarked, picking the box up. "I guess we can work on this together. As long you don't throw a tantrum, of course."

Just hearing him say that made Ryouma's heart skip a beat. Not that she would admit it to him. She was at least in her mid to late teens (she thought at least) and Hiroshi had to be no more than eight years old. Which did put her feelings in a bit of a taboo place.

"Okay." the doll answered, watching her friend carefully open the box up and take out the pieces. After, he placed them on the floor as Ryouma went to grab the snippers (basically pliers for models). Then it was just the process of snipping the individual pieces from their plastic sheets. Thankfully, they came prepainted. "What do we want to name her?"

Her question caught the crossdresser by surprise, who followed it up with a chuckle.

"Tabitha." Hiroshi answered, cracking the rare smile that Ryouma had grown to love. The actual process of assembling the figure actually went smoothly for once, with the two taking turns putting pieces together until Tabitha was complete.

Of course, the good times had to end.

After quite a long playtime, she had chosen to take a nap in bed. When she woke back up, everything felt off. Gone was any sense of order in the room, having been replaced with messiness. It had all the facilities one needed to make their own doll clothes and possibly the clothes themselves.

"Hiroshi?" she called out and watched a girl of all things jump out of from what looked to be the pile of cloth. They made their way over and pulled the doll in for a hug. While familiar, it didn't quite feel the same as the hugs from before.

"I'm Hinoka, your owner." the girl explained, letting Ryouma take in her robes. "Did you forget who I am?"

Ryouma stared back, confused by the words she had just heard, Yet, her heart seem to be set aflutter by this young maiden.

"Uh...no." she answered and accepted the gesture. Compared to Hiroshi, Hinoka's interests were in a different area of dolls and subsequently, play. Whereas before Ryouma was put in the middle of a grand space adventure. But now, it was just dress-up time with a little make-believe thrown in for good measure. Sure, she preferred it more, it just wasn't the same. The doll had accepted it for the sake of not making her owner worry, but inside she felt incomplete. Maybe now, that Hinoka wanted to take her on a date, she could get to the bottom of this. Then and maybe then, they could lay that demon to rest.

.

Airu took a deep breath.

While she wasn't quite certain what was going on, this is was their fault. To some extent.

Carefully, she gave her friend a hug.

"Think you'll be up to a date?" Cho inquired and got a nod from Ryouma in return. "Okay. Let's get those dolls then."

A quick dusting followed. After all, she wanted their child to look her best

"This is for Hiroshi." she whispered, letting a smile form on her face. Once she was good with how Tabitha was in, it was off to the stairs.

Notes:

Yeah. This is a very heavy chapter. Probably one of my favorites to write and edit.

.

On our next date: Let's go shopping. Probably won't run into an actual precure character. Not at all.


	69. Chapter 69

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

It didn't take the group long to get back downstairs. If anything, it was possible that they went down too fast.

After hearing Ryouma's story, everyone had decided that silence was possibly the best option at the moment. Especially with the possibility that their memories might not quite as crystal clear as they thought. None of them even knew what year it was exactly. Even if they did, it could easily change on them without warning and they be none the wiser. Which is quite rude, when you get down to it.

"You're not helping here." Ryouma whispered and shot the ceiling a quick glance. Which came right as they were passing through the living room. There she came to a stop, looking towards the couch.

Hinoka was currently leafing through a magazine, maybe a catalog even.

"I'm heading out. Is there anything that I can… possibly get you?"

Hinoka looked up from her magazine, focusing immediately on the doll. While she probably didn't know about Ryouma's storytime, the boxes at Airu's door or anything that happened upstairs. But there was something in the way that she looked towards her girlfriend that sait it all,

"If it wouldn't be a bother." Hinoka answered and held the magazine out, revealing what looked to be a female mannequin on this page. "Once you get back, maybe then we can have our date."

Ryouma gave a nod, making sure to snap a picture of the object in question with her phone. Then she let her focus return to Hinoka. While she looked as happy and possibly carefree as ever, the sorceress looked… out of it. Something seemed to be on her mind at the moment. But whatever it was, she probably wasn't going to open up to her friend just like that.

"Are you alrig-"

Before she had a chance to finish that sentence, Hinoka's arms wrapped around her body and Ryouma was pulled in.

"No." Hinoka whispered, squeezing Ryouma a tiny bit. "I'm afraid."

Ryouma returned the gesture as best she could.

"Afraid of what?"

She got a deep breath, followed by whispering. Her words just roll out and Ryouma listens. She does make sure to shoot her teammates a look. While they were patiently waiting, the pair and their partners were a bit on the antsy side. But who could really blame them? They were in the middle of a big mystery and the answer seemed close for once.

"We'll get to the bottom of this, I promise." Ryouma finally whispered and watched Hinoka perk up. "Don't you worry."

She got a nod.

Thank you." Hinoka called out, making sure to get one more hug in. "Have fun, Miss Rose!"

The two broke away and Ryouma rejoined the group.

"I guess there's no stopping this." Ryouma thought and let her attention return to the sliding glass door. "But I can figure that out later."

She would just push it to the back of her mind. For now, they just needed to buy the dolls. Anything after that could be figured out as they went along.

"We're heading out!" Airu announced and watched her mother make her way back over. For once, she was in her armored form. "We'll try to be back before dinner!"

Yukio nodded and watched our heroes make their exit. After, she sat herself down at the table.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Delia remarked as she approached her mom. But all she got was silence.

.

Outside with our main group, things looked the same as ever. If anything, it would seem that the shed was slightly larger than before. Or was that was the trick of the eyes? Who can really know these days.

Though, the silence thing is getting a bit annoying. You could at least try to fill the void and try to talk about something.

For a few brief seconds, it would seem that our cries would go ignored. Especially as they got onto their mounts.

"You're probably right." Airu remarked as Candlemon approached. "Let me guess, you want a gift from your boyfriend?"

The candle digimon nodded, shooting Parasimon a glance right after. A bark was his answer.

"Got everything, Sugar?" Cho inquired and watched Airu's attention shift over to her. She gave a nod, noticing her wife's halberd. "Just making sure, of course."

Their attention was now on their teammates, who were mounted and awaiting instructions. Which signalled the start of their journey. But not the end of conversations between each other.

"In all seriousness, Miki," Astamon inquired and watched the photographer's attention turn to her. "Where are you and Ren staying at?"

Miki gave a reluctant chuckle.

"Hotel rooms, of course." she explained, letting a sigh right after. "Though, we have gotten an offer from Blossom to stay with him. We of cou-"

Ren shot her a look, getting a sigh in return. While the offer had been quite nice, he wasn't ready to settle down just yet. Not till he was to the bottom of his own answer.

"It's something that's for later down the line." Miki continued. "Anything else you would like to know? Or is it my turn to ask a question out of you?"

"Shoot." Astamon answered and watched her friend take a deep breath. Then it was back to Astamon.

"Do you have any hobbies?"

Her question caught the gangster off guard. Not because she didn't have any (far from it). But instead, how personal that she wanted to get here.

"I dance. Mostly ballet" Astamon answered, getting a glance from Triceramon. "I'm improving."

"Yes," Triceramon inquired and attempted to shoot her ride a glance. "But you're a long way from being decent."

In return, Astamon gave her a glance. Not that either expression actually reach their target. Mostly because they were focused on other things.

"Maybe one day, you'll be good enough to try out for a part in one of those ballet plays." Ryouma suggested. In return, that got her a bit of a nod.

"I guess." Astamon continued as the shopping district came into view. "So what this store that we're looking for exactly?"

Their gazes focused on Airu.

"A toy sto-" the trapper started, only for her gaze to catch something of interest. She gave Parasimon a slight tap and the trio shot off. Airu could have least clued everyone in. But I guess that was asking too much?

"Uh…" Ren remarked and gave Sella a nod, the chameleon digimon heading off to find their teammates. Which left Triceramon to round out the rear.

"Uh… What just happened?" Astamon added, getting a confused glance in return as they caught up to their companions. There, they found Airu's face glued to what looked like the Hugutto toys. Which they had neither the strength nor the durability to pull her away. I'm not sure what you people were even expecting to happen here.

"I'm guessing we're stepping inside, Sugar?" Cho inquired and got a nod from Airu. "Parasimon, do you think you can find a play to stay?"

Parasimon gave a nod and scurried off. Sella and Triceramon followed right behind, leaving their masters to brave their way into this unknown place. Astamon waited patiently outside, possibly to wait for anyone dumb enough to intrude on this shopping trip.

Inside, things looked normal enough. Well, outside of the massive load of precure merchandise held within.

"Ooh! They have body pillows!" Airu shouted and ran off to the far side of the room, nearly running over the Cure Blossom cosplayer just doing their job. "Sorry about that. I just got excited."

"It's alright." the cosplayer answered, mumbling something under her breath. "Just be more careful in here."

"Of course."

Airu returned her attention to the body pillows, making sure to stuff the Orba in a place where no human could

Carefully, Cho made her way over and gave the clerk a smile.

"I'm sorry if my wife caused any trouble for you guys." the baker whispered, getting a bit of a chuckle in return.

"Don't worry, I'm us-"

Before the clerk had a chance to finish her sentence, something fell over in the back. Which was then followed by a small explosion.

"Excuse me for a second." the cosplayer remarked and ran around towards the back of the store. Only to catch a view of Astamon. Which seemed to freak her out even more.

"Okay…" the gangster whispered and returned to gazing through the glass. At the moment, it would appear that Cho had succeeded in the objective and was in the process of checking out with what looked to be Cure Sunshine. Airu was right behind, having found a body pillow of Riko on for Cho on top of the . While not quite Heart or Regina, it would serve quite nicely. Ren was showing some keychains to Miki, while her own partner was just looking at the dolls. For once, things actually looked peaceful.

Of course, it wouldn't be allowed to last. But that was judging by the blast of energy that had shot through the walls of the store and onto the sidewalk. Which conveniently created a hole for the gangster to pass on through.

"Would you mind if I came in?" Astamon inquired and got a nod from the clerk. Carefully, she ducked down and made an entrance. Thankfully, no further damage was caused in the process. "Thank you."

"Of course." the clerk answered, bagging up her customer's stuff. She then handed it over. "Have a ni-"

Like the last employee, she too was cut off. This time, it was by balls of energy. At least these ones didn't seem to do as much damage as the first attack.

"Hey Sunshine~" a voice called out, the clerk's attention focusing in on a new hole in the wall. Just barely, one could make out the clerks

"Yes?" she answered, watching the faces of the figures shift. "Uh… guys, are you alright?"

"Alright? We've never felt better." one of the figures answered, their voice distorted by a caninelike voice. "Especially when it comes to hunting down precure."

Our heroes gulped as the girls stepped on through. Just barely, they could make out a purple lion thing.

"You may call me Diabl-"

It's Diableomon or something.

* * *

Notes:

After our previous long chapter, something shorter to balance it out.

.

On our next date: Dang. That's even worse


	70. Along came a diableomon

I don't own digimon and technically other franchises.

* * *

 

In retrospect, this was eventually bound to happen.

Like a self fulfilling prophecy, these idiots managed to not only bring out a villain from the precure franchise, they had granted the one with the most theoretical power out. It couldn't be someone like say Batty or even Bibury. They seem like good people and were probably in need of a job at the moment. Not, I don't know… Diableomon.

"It's Diable." the weird possession lion thing announced and made one of his puppets launch out towards them. Airu and company stepped away, preventing any possible grabbings. For now at least. "If you want someone to blame, blame that Haru kid and his inability to convince robots to not bother him."

Our heroes gave the person talking a confused glance. While they had some idea who he was talking about, how this applied to their situation didn't seem that clear. Though judging by the way Diable was acting here, things seemed off. Especially if you discount the fact that he was supposed to be a chihuahua of all things. But that was not the case here. Though he no longer had his power to make people fight each other. Which was definitely a good thing.

"Spoilers."

But right now, that was the least of their concerns. They were currently standing in the middle of a hostile environment with little in the way of actual protection. But they were quite fine with that. What was the worst could possibly happen to them? They would probably be brought back to life post the battle. That was how most battles in precure work, right? Once the good girls win, everything will turn back to normal. The buildings would be restored. That had to apply to people, right?

Wrong! If you dumbheads die, you just die. There is no coming back. And before someone asks the obvious counter to this question, no. Evil TK doesn't count here. That's a far different case involving far different shit for another day. I get that you guys are feeling bulletproof and stuff.

Offscreen, Sachiko explained to her wife to maybe calm it down a notch or two. She reluctantly agreed to do so, on the condition of a kiss. Which was an easy enough request for the geomancer to fulfill

"Uh, what is she talking about now?" Diable remarked, only to get a shrug. After, he let out a grunt and pulled his puppets in. Which makes this a perfect opportunity for you to guys to do something like that. Well, our heroes made an attempt at doing that.

"So what's the plan exactly?" Cho whispered and got a deep breath from her wife. "Or is there not one?"

So they all huddled together. Since you know, great minds think alike or something? Yeah, that quote.

"The latter, in that case." Airu responded, shooting her teammates a quick glance. "You guys have anything?"

It was a similar story on their side, with silence being the main answer of their teammates. Though, that could be just chalked up to them not quite sure what was even going on at the moment. Which puts us (the narrators), in the same boat as you guys.

"He's basically a guy who holds a grudge against I guess Homeostasis for nearly exterminating his race or something." Airu explained, getting what appears to be a thumbs-up out of the corner of her eye.

Oh right. That mess at the start. Gotcha. Was a tiny bit confused where this was all coming from.

"But you narrated that part." Cho added.

That was a long time ago for me, for the record. The time loops haven't done us much good either. They've made things a lot more confusing than they used to be. But at the same time, gave a whole bunch of people an ending. A proper one, not the sort that feels like a cop-out. It's kind of a double edged sword when you get down to it.

"Uh…" Airu whispered and took a deep breath. While the past couple 'days' had been absolute mess, she was starting to get a hang of it. "Are you going to attack us at least?"

But all that got her was a shrug. Not that she could really see it.

"Maybe? You're not precure to begin with." the voice announced and motioned for the pair to head on out along with the rest of their teammates "I was sent to take you out. But this is not a grudge you want to step into."

A fireball formed in Cho's hand. She focused on her opponent

**Huǒ (Fire)!**

Her wife gave a quick glance, getting a nod in return. Then the fireball was thrown and the battle begun.

Ince that was time, it was time

"You don't listen, do you?" Diable continued, forcing one of the girls to intercept the attack. "Come on. You could at least direct to the nearest precure. Or at least the "

Ren shot one of the girls a glance and shook his head.

"So you just expect us to magically know where these precure are?" the bomber asked. "We hunt digimon, not magical girls."

For some reason, Diable perked up. Even though that particular statement wasn't even in regards to what he was looking for at all. Like seriously, do you need your ears checked? There wasn't any part of what he said that could help you.

"Could you tell me where I can find some of them then?" Diable continued, getting both a bear trap and a grenade for his efforts. Which did little in the way of actually damaging him. So he responded by sending forth his minions at him.

**Slice!**

Carefully, Miki swung her blade into a minion and launched her over to their companion. Which got what looked to be a butt punch. Not this precure's shining moment, that's for sure.

"You don't need to remind me!" the pink precure announced as she went for another kick. Cho's halberd met it. Only to find that she was also facing down the blue one as well.

"I won't let you hurt my friends." this precure announces, as we're left with an interesting question. So if the precure exist, what do they think of all the merchandise with there names on it. I guess Toei would give you a cut or something. Or perhaps it's a set amount. Whatever the case, I guess getting possessed isn't hazard pay or anything. Which is quite a shame. But we digress.

"I'll just go cause pointless destruction then." Diable continued as Astamon moved to cut him off. The tommy gun came out right after, pointed right towards their opponent. "Really, you can think that's enough to stop me?"

**Maverick!**

"Maybe." Astamon answered and pulled the trigger. Her gun fired off, actually seeming to not spray everywhere for once. Not that it was really hard, just challenging. Though, I don't think it really did much in the way of damage to

Of course, that still wasn't accounting for the clerk. She still had a trick up her sleeves. An explosive one at that.

"I would suggest you get behind me." she suggested. "This could get ugly."

Reluctantly, Airu and company complied to their best of their abilities. Which meant getting behind Astamon and hoping to god that they weren't blasted to pieces.

"Here goes nothing."

What followed, was the pulling out of a tambourine. A very dangerous one in fact. It can only get better from here. Trust us on this. You definitely don't want to be on the other end when it goes off. It may look absolutely silly and just plain stupid, but that's the thing.

"But it's a tambourine." Miki remarked as she watched Ryouma take her doll out for some reason.

What my wife is trying to say at least, this is going to messy real fast. Since this isn't a regular tambourine. It's a missile-spewing instrument of destruction and terror. There's no kill like overkill, right?

"Yeah. That." Airu added, the group now outside the shop. Of course, I doubt even that would be enough protection. "Then what do you suggest?"

If we're going by realistic means, go another block and don't look at the explosion. Ludicrous solution would be going to the moon. No, mars. You have to watch out for the ricochet of the sunflowers. It could take an eye out. Maybe.

"It isn't that bad." Cho whispered as they watched the tambourine shake about, bringing forth stalkless sunflowers. All while the background turned a bright shade of gold with stain glasslike patterning for good measure. Just so you could know which season this was exactly.

"Gather, Flower Power!"

"Dance, Flowers!"

"Precure Gold Forte Burst!"

And with that, the flowers shot forth. They managed to hit their target… only to keep going. And going. Like seriously, maybe you shouldn't have put so much oomph into that one attack.

By the time the dust had finally settled, the store was no more and a good chunk of the surrounding buildings. It also hit Astra. Which pissed him off even more. Wait. Why is Astra here in the first place? Neither of us remember him showing up. Don't tell me he was hired as well to cause trouble.

Astra shot the sky a look. What exactly he expected to get out of it, we're not entirely certain.

"I'll get ya!" he announced and made his god-level piece of shit appear. Like seriously, his ultimate form is better than that stupid thing.

"Shut up, you douchebags!"

Are you sure you really want to talk back to us? The last time I checked, we could both easily kick you and your partner's asses quite easily.

"You couldn't." Astra countered, seemingly oblivious to all that was going on. Not that it made much of a difference. Especially with what was happening all around them at the moment. At this point, there wasn't much they could do. Except fight, really.

* * *

Notes:

For those confused by who exactly Diable is and why there's a technical other franchises, I would like you all to check out Kira Kira Precure Ala Mode. It's basically a digimon series that's also a precure series. I'm not making this up.

As for the chinese characters for Cho's attack not working properly, that's just a quirk with FFnet. I can't do much about that.

.

On our next date: I think someone got a little crimson within.


	71. Chapter 71

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Ryouma took a deep breath.

At the moment, they were still stuck in the middle of a conflict that might have been their fault, at the same time it kind of wasn't. Basically, this was all very confusing. Now to add in Astra of all people to the mix. Yeah. There were so many good ways that this could possibly go. Most of which were not that good. No, scratch that. A majority of them would probably end up with at least one party (probably Astra and that stupid sperm cloud of his) getting their asses kicked. A few would result in victory for Diable. But none of that seemed to matter to her at the moment. Given the choice, she would've chosen to have just walked away. And that was kind of what she wanted to do in this moment. But something seemed to refuse from within. It was as if this was her chance to shine, even if it seemed like it shouldn't be yet. Or perhaps wanted it to be.

So the doll made a choice. Was it possibly as dumb and stupid as one the author made over a year ago? Possibly. But at least this one had some level of safety nest when compared to his. No, the difference of safety nets would be quite minimal if you got down to it. I would give Ryouma a slightly higher chance of succeeding here. Best of luck.

So the doll bent down slightly, pushing her right leg back a tiny bit. Making sure that there was no one in the way, she shot forward, string in hand.

Yet, everything about this felt completely off. And while she was fairly certain that her teammates had come to a similar solution, she had been the first to act on it.

"What are you doing?" Astamon called out as she watched Ryouma swung her string out and grabbed hold of one of their opponent's leg. "Come back here!"

Silence served as her answer at the moment.

No, the only option at the moment was to just watch as the doll climbed her way up and wrapped the wire around one of the girl's, her luck seemed to change.

Tabitha tumbled out of her dress as everything around seemed to freeze. Images of the past seemed to seep right back into her head, taunting, mocking her for all she could've done. For accepting such a radical change without a second thought. For a few brief seconds, she swore the world gave way to a dark void of sorts

But Ryouma pushed those images back, reshifting her focus to the task at hand.

"Enough!" she shouted and tightened her grip, letting her weight do the rest of the work. This was a surprisingly effective strategy. Outside of nearly getting smashed by the now comatose opponent. "I just want some kind of answer in this mess."

The world around her seemed to return to normal. Or as close as normal one can get in this mess.

It also got the attention of her teammates. Who seemed quite proud of her at the moment.

"Good job, Ryouma!" Airu shouted and gave the doll a smile, watching her duck and weave through a mix of bullets and kicks. "You can do this!"

"Yeah!" Ren added as he began to cheer the doll on. "Show this Diable guy who's boss!"

Ryouma blushed. She normally wasn't used to this level of praise, but it felt quite nice. Like one of her dolls. Speaking of which…

"Can't forget about you." she whispered and picked Tabitha up. Then it was back into her dress pocket. This time, an effort was made to make sure she was in snug. "You're our daughter, after all."

Okay, maybe that was exaggerating it to some extent. But, this was the last doll she had put together with Hiroshi, possibly the hardest one they had put together. Now, it would serve as the very thing to push her to keep fighting.

**Blossom Explosion!**

A ball of pink energy surrounded her opponent, dissipating in a loud bang. Yet, this didn't stop Ryouma and her 'daughter'. It probably made them even more pumped. Which, her teammates took as her cue for them to rejoin in this chaotic mess of a battle.

"You're really cute, you know that?" Diable taunted. "Or do you still need that crybaby of a 'girlfriend' to bail you out?"

With that remark, he swiped at Ryouma and smashed her into the floor without a single care. All while her teammates took potshots at Diable. Which were starting to have some effect. Not much of one, but It was a start.

"Shut up." Ryouma muttered as pulling herself back up. After, she took the time to make sure Tabitha was still on her. Once that she was certain that the doll was still on her, then it was back to Diable. "Why do you even care?"  
That got her laughter from her opponent.

"Because it was 'her' who brought me here in the first place." their enemy responded, letting a smile form on his victim's face. "Or did you let her erase her memories? Though, I doubt you really answer me on that front."

But Ryouma doesn't answer, having been in the process of scaling up her other opponent while Diable was running his stupid mouth. Though, she might want to pick up the pace. Astra and his sentient ball of semen is still around here and you don't want to deal with him when he eventually decides to strike.

"Got it." she whispered and pushed back the memories that seeked to illuminate something for just a little bit longer. A quick roping of the neck later, the other opponent was down. Which just left Diable himself to deal with. If she and the discount precure things hadn't found themselves transported into one of Ryouma's past memories. She wasn't entirely sure what caused it this time. More specifically, the one where she was taken to show and tell. Except this time, she wasn't going to black out this time. Mostly because the doll doubted there was going to be a second chance on this.

"I can do this." Ryouma whispered and let the memory play out.

"What have you brought us today, Hiroshi?" the teacher inquired once more, watching this particular student make their way to the back of the room. Which served as the 'front' of the class for some reason.

After, he pulled her out. In her mind, Ryouma was counting the seconds before it all went wrong.

"This is Ryouma." Hiroshi announced and Ryouma gave a wave. "She's my best friend."

Silence. Then laughter.

"Hiroshi is a girl!"

"Doll lover!"

One by one, the other students chimed in, spewing their hateful speech without a second thought. Hiroshi collapsed to the ground once more and cradled Ryouma in his arms. Which only seemed to make it worse. But what happened next, seemed like something out of a bad horror movie. Energy surged

Diable made his entrance and went to work. And by work, I mean set the children and teacher against each other for the sake of his own amusement. Eventually, it all came crumbling down right before Hiroshi's eyes.

It was overkill on the grandest scale, the sort one saved for the one they hated most. But this was just petty.

"Really now?" Diable muttered, letting Ryouma climb up and slide her string around her neck. "This might hurt."

Gravity did the rest of the work, leaving both combatants on the floor as they were returned to the shop.

"It would seem that you have won." Diable muttered and watched Ryouma get up. "But what is that red liquid on your hand, Rose?"

Ryouma looked down at her hand, finding a patch of dried red on her palm.

"This shouldn't be possible." she shouted, getting a pat on the back from the spectral lion thing.

"She made a choice, much like you did today. Sure, it might have been as dumb. But she meant well."

So she's human then? Then that must mean...

"Crud." Ryouma whispered and watched Diable fade away. This was then followed by her being returned to the shop. "Well, I did it."

_Hunt Complete!_

"There he is." a voice announced as what looked to be Astra's partner meant another short fight. Not that it seemed to bother her companions. Especially since things seemed unfinished with the doll.

.

"How much longer do you think she'll stare at that door, mommy?"

Youko took a deep breath.

Normally, she wouldn't worry as much about this. But after that string of hunts, things seemed different this time.

"I'm not entirely certain, Delia." the chosen answered, shooting her other daughter a quick glance. "She will need to make a choice soon enough. For better or worse."

Delia shot her a glance. While they wanted their children to succeed, it would need to be by their own hand. Not theirs.

"I think she just made her's." Delia answered, the sound of a door opening following.

* * *

Notes:

Surprise. I guess that means we're still going with this mess.

.

On our next date: Does that make Ryouma a blazeblue character now?


	72. Her Loyal Blade

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Problems.

Normally, these sort of things serve as obstacles for one to overcome. Usually, this would take the form of a person or even the ideology of the person.

But then are the special cases. You know, the people who are too dumb for their own good but somehow manage to dump their issues onto you to be fixed. And when you do fix them, there's no sort of praise or even reward for doing so. The true assholes of the world.

As was the case of this particular mess for Haru Shinkai at the moment: Normally, this wasn't much of a big deal. An 'astra' sort of problem.

Mostly because it meant he had to stop whatever he was doing and run on over to Yuujin's house. There, it was a 50/50 shot whether or not he would find his friend there. Yes, friend. Not boyfriend, no matter how many times that it was pointed out to him by his friends and random strangers on the street. He would just ignore that nice warm feeling that he got. Well, at least until he got a better idea of what the feeling even was and he turned eighteen. So in a couple years, in other words. But that was if you weren't counting the multiple time loops that had occured. While his memories over the past couple cycles was kind of fuzzy, he liked to believed that he was consistent. Spoiler Alert, he was far from it. Like seriously, somehow he managed to get a kiss from Rei. Who for some reason, was dressed in a bizzare Cure Sunshine cosplay. Like seriously, you couldn't do better than that? Fuck, you could have at least gone with Yuujin. He was dressed like Saitama from One Punch Man. That guy looks sort of kissable.

"No comment." Haru muttered and got a head pat from his friend. A groan followed, but he let his focus returned to how he and his friends got there.

If he didn't find Yuujin there, it meant a train ride over to Astra's. Which did give him an excuse to stop by Rei's and see how he was doing. Maybe even get a cookie and hear Rei ramble about something called Criasu Corp taking the place of L-Corp. Of course, he couldn't stay for the entire thing, sadly. No, he had other things to worry about at that particular. Like whatever Astra had planned for Yuujin this time. Knowing Astra, it was probably something gross or inappropriate. Usually both. Sometimes sexist as well. Because why not?

In this particular occasion, he was having the android eat white slime-covered carrots while wearing a playboy bunny costume. In a swimming pool with a bunch rabbits. Which Yuujin still had on for some reason.

"I don't get what I did wrong." Yuujin answered, shooting his teammate a confused glance. "I was just helping him out on something."

Haru let out a deep breath.

"Yuujin, do you know what an innuendo is?"

The android stared towards him, not even attempting to ask the honest question. Yuujin had a bad habit of that. Even after getting rebuilt a second time, it seemed that he hadn't quite learned his lesson.

"You can just say no when he asks." Haru continued, getting a head shake from Astra himself. "Stay out of this."

The applidriver took a deep breath, making sure that they were at the area that they were looking for. Once he was certain that they were, he gave Gaiamon a slight nod.

"Here goes nothing!" the god appmon announced, carefully landing himself on the pavement. Their teammates did something similar, making sure to land in such a way that they didn't cause any more destruction than that had been caused already. Of course, something seemed off. There was just the three pairs of human and digimon, with no sign of anyone who could have shot off a blast. But it did catch the attention of the one who made the call in the first place. Of course, they left out the part about their first encounter.

"It's them." Astra muttered. "Kill them, Ouranosmon."

Ouranosmon gave a reluctant nod, shooting off towards Airu and company.

"Astra!" Eri screeched and pulled her hand, ready to deliver her signature punch to the boy. Which he was most definitely deserves, I might add. Like seriously, what a douchebag.

"Shut your mouth, bitch." Astra muttered and got two dokan punch. One to the face. The other to the chest. Sadly, it did nothing in the way of changing the boy's attitude. Instead, it got Eri thrown against a wall. Truly a wonderful person at work here. He probably makes more money than mosty

"Wonderful." Airu muttered and watched Haru and Yuujin approach. "I'm guessing that you guys are the leaders of this motley crew?"

Haru stood there for a couple of seconds, only to get a pat on the back from Yuujin.

"You got this." the android explained. "Just walk up to her and act normal."

"This isn't a date, Yuujin!" he shouted as their 'opponents' watched on. "This is negotiations."

Yuujin shot his boyfriend a quick glance.

"Oh."

The gogglehead took a deep breath, ignoring what looked to be Rei and Eri attempting to explain to Astra that his behavior is unacceptable. Not that the idiot was in a listening mood. Because of course not. That would be too easy. It quickly devolved into a full-on fist fight. If you were expecting otherwise, we're sorry to disappoint you.

"I'm guessing you're Astra's friends?" Airu inquired and got a very reluctant nod from Haru. "I'll take as a maybe?"

"Yes, we are Astra's friends. Sadly." Yuujin announced, watching Ren and Ryouma approach. "I believe these are your friends, Miss…"

Airu shot her wife a look, getting a nod in return. So she cleared her throat and returned to looking at Haru for now.

"Hakkai. Mrs. Airu Hakkai." Airu explained, getting a slight chuckle from her wife. "And this is my wife, Cho."

Her remark seemed to catch Haru by surprise. I guess he isn't used to two woman being married to each other? Time to get with the times. If you get what we mean. ;)

"That's nice…" Haru responded, catching a glance from Yuujin. "No, we are not a couple."  
Personally, I find that statement to be a lie. That one scene didn't happen. Or at the very least, the version that we believed we heard. I refuse to believe that was actually what came out of Yuujin's mouth and there's nothing to make me believe otherwise.

"Uh…" Gaiamon started, not even wanting to dig into that can of worms at the moment. Especially after what Offmon told him.

"Then what about the times that we have slept together in your bed?" Yuujin suggested and blew a kiss. "Doesn't that count for something, honey?"

Haru's face turned a bright shade of red. Not that it mattered for his friend. Who was possibly even more attracted to him in this moment than before.

"I am not gay!" the gogglehead muttered and got another back pat from Yuujin. "Would you please stop th-"

Before he had a chance to finish that sentence, Astra had decided that he was just going to kick the asses of their opponents on top of his friends. Which does seem to spoil the victor of his last brawl. So he ran up to Ryouma and just pushed her onto the ground.

"You know what?" the apptuber joked, smashing his foot into the now human girl. "I really like that!"

Ryouma tried to push him away, but all that seemed to get her was another kick. Not even a flashbang on the idiot head's really did anything. Airu threw her bear trap, but had to deal with a subpar throw and just clipping the apptuber's arm.

"I really like th-"

Before idiot here got a chance to deliver another one of his famous kicks. A pair of arms grabbed a hold of him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you~" a voice called out, forcing Ryouma to shift her gaze upward. There, Hinoka stood in not her mage robes, but what looked like a sweet lolita outfit. A bright pink dress decorated with teddies covered her body, with the urge to add a petticoat repressed for the moment. Long light pink stockings snaked up her legs and went quite well with the magenta platform shoes on her feet. Which had cute little kitten faces on the front for some reason. A blonde wig done up in sausage-sized curls sat on her head with a magenta bow to boot. Completing the look, was what looked to be a parasol. It too had cute little cat faces when opened up. But for the moment, she held a hand out. "Did the bad man hurt you, Miss Rose?"

Ryouma nodded.

"Yeah." the doll whispered and grabbed hold, getting pulled into her girlfriend's arms. "You look quite cute right now."

Hinoka blushed, but let her attention return to Astra.

"You shall be punished." the sorceress continued and flung some needles out. While they didn't land in any vital organs, they came quite close. "You've earned this fate, I'll have you know."

She followed it up with a chuckle and caught both Ryouma and Airu off guard. Though, it didn't really last long.

"Let go of me!" Astra screamed as he tried his best to break away from his bindings. All that did was just get everything tied even tighter.

"I believe we're done here, Miss Rose. It's time for Tabitha's nap after all." Hinoka explained and picked the doll up. Actually, 'the doll' doesn't really work now. How about 'the noble'?

Ryouma nodded and let a smile form on her face.

"Yeah. I could work with that."

With that, the two made their way back home. But not before grabbing Astamon and Triceramon. It would've been quite rude to leave them behind for no particular reason. They also just left their teammates without saying anything.

"Uh… what just happened?" Cho remarked and got a confused glance from her wife in return. While things seemed quite mysterious and confusing, they would get to the bottom of this. If nothing else, it would be an adventure. Which I guess counted for something.

"Probably something to do with one of the time shifts." the trapper explained, following it up with a deep breath. "Though, why such an outcome would occur is more of a question for Hinoka than Ryouma."

Cho gave a nod and let their gaze return to Haru and his friends.

"Sorry about this." Airu remarked, watching their opponent's gaze shift towards them. "Hopefully, we can work together in the future."

Haru gave a nod.

"Okay guys, let g-"

Before he had a chance to really finish that sentence, Triglav appeared.

"Well, it's been a while." the chosen greeted, taking his fedora off and holding it to his chest. Freya came down right after.

* * *

Notes:

Oh for fuck sake.

Real talk, another one of my favorite chapters to write and edit.

.

On our next date: Some people try and make a scene.


	73. Rebels without a cause

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Out of all the people that could make a surprise appearance on our heroes, Triglav and Freya were not at the top of the list. Heck, they weren't on the list at all. If we had to give them an exact place, it would be something like 21st or 22nd place. At best. At worst, probably be 65th or 66th.

"Oh right, those two people." Miki remarked as she and her teammate's attention focused on the pair.

By way of these time shifts, they were actually looking quite well. While Freya didn't seem to go through much in the way of changes, Triglav looked even more feminine than before. Are we sure he isn't secretly a girl under all those clothes. Because most men don't have an hourglass figure and a light coat of makeup. Nor do they switch out their glass eyes out for those of a anime lady. They are quite kawaii, by the way.

"No comment." Triglav muttered as he put his fedora back on. "We're just passing through, totally not at all on Agni's orders."

That remark got him a mix of looks. Airu rolled her eyes, getting another bear trap ready. Cho pulled her halberd back out. Ren got another explosive out - a flashbang, while Miki just brought her swords forward. Which leaves just our wonderful applidrivers to deal with this problem. It would seem that their answer is along the lines of just letting sleeping dogs lie and watch. Which fair enough. I definitely wouldn't want to do anything after all the shit Astra just caused for you guys.

"Thanks for reminding us." Haru remarked as Triglav pulled out what looked to be a revolver. Kind of like my gun.

That response caught our main narrators by surprise. Though, this was more of a welcome one.

Talia, is that you?

In the flesh, literally. So I thought I would visit my two favorite girls while the boss is here in Japan. Especially with a proper body rather than something 2D.

"That's cool." Airu whispered, as our now three narrators returned their attention to the battle at hand.

Triglav began by loading his pocket revolver. Freya on the other hand, was more in the mood of just getting into the air and maybe raining down terror from above.

**Huǒ (Fire)!**

Well, this did make the armored woman an easy target to snipe with a well-placed fireball. Which is what Cho went for, watching the projectile connect and left for a less than desirable result for Freya.

"You asshole." Freya muttered and dived towards the group. So they got out of the way, heading for their mounts. Well, they tried too at least. Then they remembered that they also had the applidrivers and Astra. Which probably wasn't going to work itself out.

"Yeah!" Astra screeched and got a dokkan punch in return. While he hadn't done anything recently, it was for all the crud from earlier.

Back with our heroes, Triglav had finally got to actually to shooting his pocket revolver, which appears to be one of those magic ones that doesn't need to be reloaded. I guess there standard order in some places?

Correct, Sachiko. Though, I'm not sure how our supposed detective got his hands on one. Though, it is possible to build one.

"That's nice?" the trapper remarked as she ducked to avoid the incoming projectiles. It was a similar story for her teammates. Though, Ren did throw out a flashbang in response to that. "In all seriousness, do you even know why Agni wants me dead?"

But no answer came to our heroes. Though, that could just be chalked up to their opponents being hyper focused on blowing them to pieces. Because sniper rifles are inaccurate, I guess? No, maybe they just don't like answering. Either one could serve as the right answer in this situation.

"Shut up!" Triglav shouted as direct blows from both Cho's halberd and Airu's fists connected with his head. So he tried to get out of the way. But that resulted in him stepping on the bear trap like the moron he totally was. Like seriously, this isn't rocket science. Even the hunters weren't such pushovers and they were complete idiots. "Given the choice, we would be elsewhere. Maybe even looking at some pretty outfits."

What sort of outfits exactly? Victorian dresses, party costumes, casual wear. You'll have to be more specific on what it is that you two are looking for.

But it would seem that the narrator's request fell upon deaf ears. Not that it was really surprising, though.

Freya had already switched to just punching people, which put her in direct opposition with Miki for the moment.

"Uh… what happened to your weapons and stuff?" Miki inquired, her answer coming in the form of a growl. "That isn't very helpful to me."

It was a similar story with Triglav for the moment. Kind of makes for quite a complicated challenge when you just shoot and refuse to answer your opponent's questions.

"You don't care." Triglav countered and looked up to the sky. What he didn't notice was Freya looking towards him.

Offscreen, our three narrators took a deep breath. While the full story was a bit of a mess from their end, Triglav had to at least taken the time to think his motives over and make up his mind, right?

"Maybe." he remarked as his opponent's attention turned to him, which made his next move of a charge in the direction of Miki and Ren. Of course, this was very telegraphed, judging by the middle finger coming their way as well.

"Eat this." Ren countered and flung a grenade out, making sure to cook it just long enough to detonate on the target. It was a surefire success, not counting the fact that it didn't kill the wannabe detective. That would've been nice. But we can't get what we want all the time I guess. "Huh. I was kind of hoping that would do more damage."

He made an attempt to sound regal and refined while saying that, coming up a bit short in the process. But considering the situation they currently found themselves in, it was more than acceptable.

"Truly a wonderful fucking princess. No wonder you got to make your dream a reality. Unlike me."

That got Triglav a kick to the balls from both his current targets. They would have done it twice each, if their opponent hadn't gone their privates stuck in a bear trap. Again. I'm not even sure where that one in particular even showed up. Airu hasn't even laid any yet. How do you manage that?

"Shut up!"

Afterwards, what remained of our heroes decided to just regroup. Since at this point, this battle was going nowhere and it might be best to just book it out of here.

Of course, someone had different ideas in that regard. Truly a shame, if you ask me.

**Ultimate Adamas!**

Which was all the more reason for the applidrivers to just peacefully leave and be done here. Especially with Astra now threatening revenge on the whole Suzaki family. Speaking of which, go away and never come back.

"Shut up!" Astra responded as he attempted to jump out of his bounds. While silly, it was actually quite effective. Sadly. "I'll get you for this!"

We would like to see you try. Maybe you should stop by our shop? So we can settle this like actual people instead of voices in the sky shouting at a midget.

What my friends are trying to say is that they've had enough of your antics. Got it?

"With pleasure." Astra muttered, flashing the sky a thumbs up. Which was somehow, his cue to break free from his binds. Then it was time to get his ball of shit to attack everyone else. "Get them!"

His partner shot him a look, but complied nonetheless.

Attacks at the ready, he slammed into Triglav's general area. Except it was very delayed when it came to contact or something. Maybe the internet connection was piss poor? Or the events going on seemed to distract the wannabe detective or would it be better to call him a lass? I'm not entirely certain. Whatever the case, it did bring forth a whole bunch of dust. Which made visibility absolutely awful. Which meant more waiting on everyone's part.

There wasn't even a scratch on Triglav or Freya. Though, it would seem that our 'lass' wasn't in the mood to be dealing with this. Not that any of us could really blame him.

"Is that really the best you got?" Freya countered, getting ready to charge right at Astra. "Because I'm unimpressed."

She pushed Haru to the ground, proceeding to fire off a shot. While a direct hit, it seemed to piss everyone off. Well, Haru's friends at least. Our heroes were more interested in just getting the heck out of here. "You are nothing more than a pathetic side character and so are your friends."

**Applifuse! Posidemon!**

**Hadesmon!**

**Rebo-**

The last one wasn't afforded a chance. After all, that wouldn't be fair. Especially in Freya's eyes. But that's just judging by the electric blast she used on Yuujin. Which was what prompted our heroes into action. Which is about time.

"Stop this." Triglav shouted and turned his attention to the pair. "If you want to take your anger out on someone, take it out on me."

Freya shot him a look.

"Are you sure? There are other ways." Freya answered and watched her husband nod. She responded with a sigh. "What am I going to do with you?"

A chuckle served as the answer to that question. Which was then followed by Freya grabbing hold and just carrying the 'lass' bridal-style.

Which left our two groups to their own devices.

"Okay then." Haru muttered, getting a kiss from Yuujin. "Yuujin!"

We didn't get to hear the android's response, since our heroes decided to make their exit right as it happened.

"Well, that was something." Ren whispered as he and Miki got Sella. Airu and Cho did something similar. Or would've, if Cho's focus hadn't been on other things.

"Sugar?"

Airu turned around, finding her wife staring at a building. At first glance, it looked like a normal bland rectangle. But on closer inspection, one could make out a sign.

Plush Cafe

For Sale

"How about it?" she remarked and grabbed Airu's hand. "We could have our own cafe. I could take the skills I learned under Delia and work the back, while you get to let your cosplay skills be on full display as a waitress, Sugar."

Airu took a deep breath and closed her eyes right after. She imagined herself away from her laidback position at the dark position and in a cafe environment. While her social skills in a restaurant were a little rusty, the idea of getting to dress however she wanted (within reason) kind of excited her. If they wanted too, her dolls could be put to work too. Sure, Hinoka could throw a fit. They could just take some of them back from time to time.

"Sounds good, Cho." Airu answered and cracked a smile. Cho gave a nod as her wife gave parasimon a slight tap.

Finally, we're heading off. About time.

* * *

Notes

That wraps up this arc. Originally, Tagiru was going to be the final boss. But due to the way that Digital Butterfly went, I decided to scrap that version. More or less.

.

On our next date: Got to look nice to go to the bank.


	74. A true date

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Of course, thoughts of Triglav and stuff were of little worry in the minds of Hinoka and Ryouma. No, their focus was more on the fight with Diable. Which was understandable. I would probably be just as confused too after having to defeat a precure villain in a digimon fic. Since you know, that's not an everyday occurrence. Even by the standards of this place.

"...Then I pulled down, dropping him to the floor." Ryouma explained as she mimicked her actions from earlier. It did get her a chuckle from Hinoka. While she could've just laughed at the sheer absurdity of it all, that wouldn't really fit. Especially when talking about a lady taking on a man and winning against extreme odds.

"Is there anything else that you need to elaborate or ask me, Miss Rose?" she remarked as the noble's gaze shifted back to her. So Ryouma took a deep breath and let silence be her initial response. On one hand, it might be just be better to leave things how they were for the moment. Maybe even just pretend that none of the stuff in the past hadn't ever occured. But, she shook her head and made a glance towards Tabitha. This was going to come up sooner or later. Better to just get this out of the way then leave it unsaid.

"Just how much do you remember of that day?" Ryouma whispered as she turned around, letting her gaze meet her girlfriend's. Tabitha now sat comfortably in her lap, ready to hear every word that came out of either girl's mouth. But all the noble got was a confused look and more silence.

"I remember you getting very confused by my sudden transformation. Could you possibly explain why, Miss Rose?"

Ryouma fell over. In retrospect, she probably should of seen that coming. It was the one question that even she couldn't answer. If a precise guess needed to be made in that moment, she would have to say Hinoka had a nightmare and thought that was a good idea. It wasn't but points for at least trying.

"Not really. But speaking of which, thanks for saving me." Ryouma mumbled, letting herself be cradled by her guardian doll thing. Yeah. Let's go with that. "If you don't mind me asking…"

She got a nod and was pulled back on with the help abo both her

"It's about the whole human/doll thing, isn't it?" Hinoka inquired and watched Ryouma just nod. I guess it's time to face the music or something. Not the start to a date if I've ever seen one. Though, our initial date wasn't any better. We went to the arcade and then you beat me at Mage Girls Vs. Then we didn't get our pizza. At least your lips tasted nice.

Why thank you.

Both girls shot the sky a look.

After, Hinoka tried to answer. But as her mouth opened up, no words seemed to follow. It did get her a hug though. That's even better.

Offscreen, the narrators got in on the action. Because they of all people they most definitely deserve it. Especially with everything going on around them and having to relive their past life and stuff.

"So that means I'm your master then?" Ryouma continued, getting a nod from Hinoka in return.

"Of course, Miss Rose."

This got Hinoka a look from Astamon. Who got a glance from her partner in return. Thankfully, home was finally coming into view.

"I'm not going to get rid of you." Ryouma explained and watched her partner take a deep breath.

There, they slowly maneuvered Triceramon to the backyard. "Thanks for the ride!"

Triceramon's face blushed pink. She watched as the pair headed inside. Once there, they bypassed the currently sitting Youko and Delia.

"How did things go at least?" the mother called out and got a thumbs-up from the girls. Then it was over over to the

It was easier that way, especially with Airu and co not being back yet. So they did the next best thing.

"Now what, Miss Rose?" Hinoka inquired and watched her master take a deep breath. While there was still a chunk of time before Airu and the rest of the team would get back. Which made for the perfect time to play in some regard. But she had a chance to open her mouth, Hinoka had made up her mind. Well, she thought at least. "Since my space cadet costume isn't ready, how about a tea party?"

While by no means the noble's first choice (she would've still gone with space cadets), it was something to try now that she was human and stuff. Though, it probably should've been her choice. But that's beyond the point.

Of course, you had to look your finest before such a party could occur. So their attention turned to the closet. Like her sister, Hinoka boasted a wide variety of outfits. Compared to Airu and Cho's though, the outfits contained in here were a bit on the refined side. Not that it would stop a few idol coords from PriPara to sneak a spot in. Yes, that's what they call them.

"Anything in particular that you want me to wear for this occasion?" Ryouma inquired as she pushed a dress away. While the space cadet stuff wasn't ready yet, there had to be something else they could wear. "A suit perhaps? An idol coo-"

She didn't get a chance, since she had a dress handed to her. Which turned out to be a dress based off of Hinoka's. A sigh and the fitting of a wig later, the outfit was on.

"Idol cords tomorrow?" Ryouma mumbled. "Please?"

Hinoka gave a nod and watched her master perk up.

"Of course, Miss Rose."

Next was choosing the right tea set and china. Or would've, if they hadn't owned just the one set of each.

"Boo." Hinoka whispered as the two made their way back down. Of course, Sakura and Jesmon were still in the process of fixing everything up. But, they were almost done.

"How are you two holding up?" Sakura inquired, having switched back to his work clothes. As funny as it probably would've been to see him work in one of his adult costume, safety procedures still needed to be followed. No exceptions. One doesn't want to get injured on the one day it's casual wardrobe day. So the two made their way to the kitchen. They were expecting to find Youko there, but no such luck. Not that it stopped them from getting the tea kettle out and the water boiling.

"Any particular flavor you want?" Hinoka inquired, watching Ryouma's attention shift to the pantry.

"Hmm…" the girl whispered, debating her options. But somewhere in the middle of that, her mind wandered to a faint memory.

It came from just after the accident, a week or two at least. She and Hinoka had been in the kitchen, trying to decide what to eat for a snack. Ryouma was still getting used to her new master, unaware of the things that she knew now. They were even in conflicting outfits.

In her case, that meant a sundress. Hinoka on the other hand, had gone for a ballroom gown. It was decorated with all sorts of frills and ribbons with a slight floral pattern to boot. Personally, she had kind of wanted to switch, but all she got was a 'no'.Which was what had led to the argument they were having at the moment.

"Cookies."

"Crumpets."

"Cookies."

At some point, she had climbed up onto the counter. Though, that could have been to just be at her owner's eye level.

Of course, Airu and Cho were having none of that. Especially since they two wanted a snack.

"How about we make both then?" Cho had suggested, giving Airu a slight nudge. "What do you think, Sugar?"

Airu gave a nod.

"Yeah. Then you can have a little bit of each." the trapper chimed, trying to stay on the same track as her then girlfriend.

What followed was an impromptu baking session. While it wasn't a complete disaster, both deserts could've easily turned out better had there been one set of hands rather than four.

Now though, Cho's deserts seemed almost heavenly. If she had been here, the two probably

The dolls were even invited too. Though, they didn't have much in the way of outfits that would really fit this situation. Some of them did, but the rest worked with what they had. Which was just their cure outfits - Blossom and Marine respectively.

"Would you like some tea, Miss Rose?" Hinoka called out, pouring some tea into a cup.

"Of course." Ryouma answered as she accepted the cup, taking a sip right after. "If you don't mind me asking, why the name Rose?"

Hinoka gave the doll a confused glance. While her memories were a bit of a haze (wiping your mind of bad dreams and memories can do that to you), she could still piece together a general idea of what had brought it about.

"If I had to take a guess, it was something that sounded far nicer than Ryouma." she explained, getting a chuckle in return. "You don't like it?"

Ryouma shook her head as her cheeks a nice shade of rosy red. Sure, it was something that would only matter to the duo but she was fine with that. That and Hinoka was the only who would actually call her that.  
"Far from it." she answered and cracked a smile. "Just call me that from now on. I'll explain it to them later."

Hinoka seemed to perk up after hearing that. A smile formed on her doll face, which did make things a little bit awkward. Especially with both of them missing memories. It was more of a matter of piecing things together and filling in the blanks.

"Of course, Rose." she continued and took a sip of her own tea. After, her gaze turned to the cure dolls. "Would you gals like some tea?"

Many tiny thimbles were brought up, though I doubt they would work that well for tea.

"Where's Macherie and Armour?" One of them (probably Yell), announced. Of course, this was everyone else's cue to shout it as well. Which was just rude.

"Fine…"

Good! They're almost done by the way, it that helps. They did get sidetracked. Who knows when they'll get back.

"Thank you." Hinoka answered and turned her attention to Ryouma. "Miss Rose, can I tell you something?"

Ryouma nodded.

"Thanks for not freaking out about me turning you into a human." the doll explained, pulling her girlfriend into her lap. "Can I give you a kiss?"

Hinoka watched Ryouma turn a bright shade of pink. Yet, she got a nod right after.

Their lips met right after, sparks and euphoria coursing through their bodies.

"I guess that means we're dating now." Ryouma whispered, not at all noticing Airu and Cho watching on.

* * *

Notes:

Oops I forgot how this sequence of events went. Oh well.

.

On our next date: Now it's time to get ready for the bank.


	75. Rise and Shine

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

The next day arrived far quicker than either party had anticipated. Sure, having a nice american dinner of hamburgers and fries was not what any of them had expected to be chowing. Even if it meant having to see Sakura dressed in what looked to be one of those waitress outfits from the 50's. It was surprisingly good, even if it did take both Airu and Cho a couple seconds to realize who it even was.

At the moment, both girls were sitting in Airu's room in their nightgowns, waiting for their respective partners to wake up. Ren and Miki had gone to get their hotel room, taking Sella with them.

"Though, the burgers were really good." Ryouma remarked as she turned her attention to Airu. "So after I left, what happened?

Airu looked away and followed it up with a deep breath.

"We got jumped. Again." the trapper explained and watched the noble's attention swivel back over to her. Once she had, Ryouma's gaze turned into a confused glance of sorts. While they had probably pissed someone off during their trip to the store, who else could they have gotten on the wrong side of? "Triglav and Freya, of all people."

This was not the answer Ryouma had actually expected. Considering all the fights that have happened up to this point, it would seem that she had missed out on them. Again. Well, technically. She wasn't quite chosen until after Airu and Ren had run into that pair. So I guess you aren't missing out on much then? So she returned her attention back to Airu.

"If you don't mind me asking, how are you holding up?" Airu inquired and watched Ryouma's face turn pink. The noble looked away as she got a chuckle in return. "I have no qualms with you dating my sister."

Ryouma did a double take, almost as if waiting for the words 'just kidding' to follow. But when no such words did, she let her face get even pinker.

"You sure? I did try to murder you last week." the noble countered and got a head shake in return.

"Are we talking last week last week or a couple time shifts ago, last week?" Airu answered and checked her phone. "At this point. That sort of thing is becoming just a memory. A stepping stone in our friendship."

Carefully, Ryouma shifted her focus towards Hinoka's room. While the sorceress was still fast asleep, she could just make out something. Sleep talking, to be exact.

"Of course, Miss Rose. I would totally…"

Whatever Hinoka was saying, she cut herself off. Which might be for the better. That dream could go anywhere for all we know.

"Boo." Airu whispered and gave her wife a slight rub. While it wasn't enough to wake Cho up, it did nearly got her a kiss. Which I guess you could count as something. "Wakey, wakey."

Cho slowly sat herself up, leaning forward to deliver a small smooch to the trapper. There it is.

"Morning, Sugar." she greeted, cracking a small smile as her eyes finally fluttered open. "How are you?"

In return, the baker got a smile back.

"Wonderful." Airu whispered back as they broke away, letting Cho sit up. "So do we want to go to the bank today or tomorrow?"

Her question caught Ryouma by surprise. While she was not there for the fight with Triglav and its aftermath, this seemed like major news of some sort.

"We found a cafe for sale." Cho explained as she got up, following Airu over to their closet. "I would be the one running the back and making the sweets, while Sugar serves as hostess with a bit of a cosplay side~"

Airu's face blushed a bright shade of pink. She cleared her throat and pulled the closet door open. Then it was a matter of deciding what outfit would be best for today. Though after all the time shifts, it would seem that the selection

"Definitely no cosplays." the trapper remarked as she pushed that particular section to the side. "Maybe something more practical?"

She pulled out what looked to be a jeans and shirt combo.

"I like that." Cho added and letting her wife hand the combo over. "Do I need to choose for you?"

Airu gave a nod. While she wouldn't admit it, this was most definitely part of their daily routine. She wasn't sure when Though, sometimes it would be Cho who picked first.

"Would this work for you, Miss Moneybags?" Cho joked as she held up a blouse and skirt. "Or too business?"

Airu gave a nod and watched Cho put that one back. In return, she pulled out a hot pink suit dress. It even had a pair of matching high heels and purse to go with it. If the blouse and skirt were too 'business', I'm not sure how this one isn't. Though, are we sure either of them

"Uh…" Airu started, giving a chuckle right after. "If I'm going to wear this, you'll have to wear yours as well."

Cho let out a groan.

"It was your idea to have me wear this. If you want, we can wear our wedding rings as well."

Cho perked up slightly and pulling out her outfit along with a box. She then set it down, opening the box up in the process. Inside, was a much smaller box. She opened that one up. There quite pretty. You two have excellent tastes, by the way.

"Here you go, Sugar."

Cho handed over what appeared to be two wedding bands and watched the trapper slip them on. Once Airu was done, Cho went through a similar process. Then it was time to get their outfits on.

The only real difference between the two girls came in the form of color. While Airu's was a bright shade of pink, Cho's was more of a darker lavender color. If anything, it made the married couple look like they were twins or something. Not that either girl really minded. It did wonders in getting around the fact of being a pair of married lesbians. While gay rights in Japan had improved quite a bit since they had initially met, they were still nowhere at the point that the United States were at. Give it time, change doesn't happen overnight.

Next it was makeup time. Nothing that flashy, just a little lipstick and maybe some blush.

"Pucker up."

The two went for each other's cheek, leaving behind a very faint lipstick imprint. After, their attention turned to Ryouma.

"Want to come with us?" Airu inquired and watched the noble sigh. While she

"Sure." Ryouma answered and made a glance towards her room. While Hinoka was still slumbering peacefully, the sorceress had left what appeared to be plans for a ballet leotard on her desk. Judging by the massive size of the plans alone, it was probably intended for use by Astamon. "Let me see if I can do it without waking up sleeping beauty."

She made her way out, Airu and Cho following right behind. Of course, it would seem that their destination was downstairs rather than any particular room. Not that it would stop them from waiting for the noble.

"Now, let's see here." Ryouma thought, carefully pulling the closet door open. She took a minute or two to examine her options, eventually deciding upon a yellow and red pinafore dress. "Perfect."

"Good morning, Miss Rose." Hinoka called out, carefully lifting herself out of bed. "I'm not a good servant if I can't even get up before my master and help with the ."

But Ryouma shook her head.

"It's alright." the noble answered, watching Hinoka get into what looked to be a maid dress. Which took the form of black and white lolita outfit with the fishnets and the frilly headband one expected to find on a servant. "Would this work for an outing?"

She got a head shake.

"Do you have anything that doesn't scream 'I belong to someone'?" Ryouma continued and watched her girlfriend dive into the closet. Eventually, she returned with a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with Hina-Ichigo from Rozen on it. "Much better."

Of course, Hinoka's attention was focused on her sister and Cho at the moment. Though, she did acknowledge her master's remark.

"Sis, why are you dressed so businesslike?" the sorceress inquired.

"We're going to the bank to take out some money." Airu explained, possibly debating switching into an entirely different outfit. What exactly she would wear instead, we're not sure. But then she decided against it. "Cho and I are going to buy a bakery."

It takes her a second to realize what was said. When she does, the sorceress perks up a little.

"Cool!" Hinoka answered and returned her attention back to Ryouma. But as quickly as her attention had focused on her older sister's possible acquisition, it was back to master for just as pressing matters. "What do you think of the plans, Miss Rose?"

Ryouma shifted her gaze towards the blueprints for Astamon's leotard. For this particular garment, Hinoka had gone with dark magenta fabric with a bit of red thrown in for good measure. Just barely, you could make out a rose pattern in the garment itself. Well, barely was probably the wrong word. Subtle. That's what it was.

"I like it. Just let me snap a photo for Astamon."

That got her a nod, followed by the flash of the camera on her phone.

"Ready to go?" Cho shouted and the two complied, joining them on their way downstairs. Taking the steps down two at a time, they made quick work of getting to the kitchen.

Currently, Sakura was dressed up like one of those american ladies from the sixties. You know, a stepford wife. Which meant seeing him dressed in a red pinafore dress with a white apron, white pump heels and one of those beehive-style wigs. Overall, it looked surprisingly nice on him.

At the moment, we find the supposed housewife cooking up some bacon and eggs. Hopefully that's for everyone

Though, that didn't explain why Jesmon was currently polymorphed into a generic japanese schoolgirl. Maybe he wanted to get an education? With the way things are going, perhaps it was just a side gig.

"Shut up." the mega whispered, only to have the words come out all bubbly and girly. "It's for an act at the club, I hope."

That's nice to know, I think? But shouldn't you have… waited instead of just prancing around now of all times?

While neither narrator got an answer, Jesmon did shoot his partner a look. But instead of getting a look in return, Sakura decided that now was the best time to be talking to Airu and co.

"Oh my!" he announced, taking the time to look over his daughter and her wife. "Something important today, perhaps?"

Airu let out a chuckle. After, she gave her wife a nod,

"We're going to buy a cafe!" Cho announced. "It'll be our own business. I'll cook the sweets and Sugar will man the front."

A smile followed her remark.

"Then I wish you the best of luck." Sakura continued and watched them chow down. "Do have fun, you two."

Eggs and bacon now done, he got out some plates and our heroes sat themselves down at the table. Though, there was someone missing from the picture. Well, a pair to be exact.

"Dad, where's mom and Delia?" Airu remarked and just watched Sakura chow down on his breakfast. He gave his daughter an eyebrow and then returned to eating.

Once breakfast was done and the dishes in the dishwasher, it was time to grab stuff. Which basically meant just grabbing Airu's gauntlet and the net, along with any snacks that they might need while traveling.

"Here you go." Cho remarked and watched Airu stuff it into her purse. Which was far bigger than one would expect it to be. Especially with the look they had gone for. "I got my halberd. Is there anything else that we need for today?"

She got a head shake, followed by Ryouma and Hinoka walking up.

"We got everything." Ryouma added and held out her string. Hinoka did something similar, just with what looked to be a magical rod of sorts instead of a loop of string. It wasn't really anything to write home about. Just a stick, with a glass ball at the end. It would do the job. Just don't count on it.

They made their way through the door and towards the backyard taking the time to grab some wax from Candlemon.

"Thanks for doing business with me." he announced as his customer pick up the wax and head over to his boyfriend. "You do make sure he come back in one piece."

Airu's gaze swung back over, followed up by a nod as she and Cho got on. While that was all happening, Ryouma was showing Astamon the pictures she took earlier.

"What do you think?" the noble inquired, watching her partner look it over. Though from Astamon's perspective, it all probably looked pixelated. Maybe. Or her eyesight is far better than we give her credit for.

"They're quite beautiful." Astamon answered as the trio got themselves on Triceramon. "Are you sure these are meant for me?"

Hinoka nodded.

"I just need to get the fabric." the sorceress explained. "While I'm doing that, you could maybe look into some ballet lessons."

The words roll out and the jackal gangster resists the urge to sigh.

"Yeah…" Astamon whispered as her gaze focused more on the grass rather than her master's servant. While sure, their mission for Suiko came first at the moment, that still left the question of what would happen after that. Would they be allowed to stay here? Would they be sent away once more?

But she took a deep breath. For now, it was better to focus on the right now than the uneasy future ahead of her.

Carefully, the two chosen motioned for them to head off. Or would have if not for the fact that Sella walked up.

Ren and Miki on board, armed for the journey. For this occasion, Ren had gone for what looked like blue sundress rather than his traveling dress. Miki on the other hand, had gone with a cobalt kimono cardigan. At least they were on the same page, color-wise.

"Ready for this?" Ren inquired and got a pair of nods. "Then let's do this then."

With that, our trio headed across the lawn and towards the gate of Uroboros.

* * *

Notes:

A slower chapter to lead us into our next arc.

.

On our next date: Arf Arf! Ruff Bark!


	76. A demon lord and a fairy

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Compared to the past couple trips from the Suzaki's house, this one seemed to be the most peaceful of the bunch.

"Passports please." the gatemen at the front of the walled neighborhood explained and watched as our travelers digged into their bags and pulled their passports out. Wait. They have passports now and stuff? Do you really have to add one more thing for us to keep track of, world? Because if you did, you could've at least made it something interesting.

Whatever the case, no funny business occured and our heroes were off for real this time. Though, they had gotten used to all the changes by this point. But that didn't change the fact that they needed to be always on edge just in case someone or something decided to jump them.

Sure, the last couple times had been mostly peaceful and the conflict came when they usually got to their destination. But on this particular occasion, things felt… different.

Nothing seemed to be happening this time. Outside of the sneaking suspicion that they were being watched. But that wasn't anything new here. If anything, it was an expectation of sorts to be upheld.

"Arf!"

"Hailey, you're giving us away!"

"Ruff?"

Almost on cue, everyone's favorite pug tumbled on in. Though, she was being followed by a weird block of data.

"Uh… hi Hailey?" Airu greeted and took a deep breath, getting a happy bark in return. "Sorry about last time."

"Ruff, arf bake arf." Hailey answered and watched as her audience just looked on with a mix of confusion and possible misunderstanding. Though, she seemed quite fine with that. Then her focus shifted over to the weird cube floating beside her. "Ruff, ruff."

The cube looked towards their master, doing a quite strange equivalent of a nod. Well, we think that's a nod.

"Fine."

The cube glowed for a second and then turned into a sprite-like creature. Or would that be a fairy. I'm not entirely certain what the difference is.

"And you are?" Cho inquired as the sprite grew in size, eventually becoming just big enough to ride on it's friend's back.

"I don't really have a name." the sprite explained. "But to Hailey, I am Titania."

She gave a bow right after saying that. Which was the perfect opportunity to take her in. Currently, she was dressed in a green dress that sat a bit on the revealing side. Her little feet were covered in what appeared to be ballet flats, with at least one set of bracelets on her legs. Finishing off the look, was some short brown hair in a pixie cut and a set of bright blue eyes.

It's a little cliche. But considering who it came from, I guess it works. Though, something like Tinkerbell would perhaps seemed more fitting. Though, Twink might be pushing it on that front. Though since you're with the grand demon lord of lust, I guess that could work.

"Not funny." the fairy mumbled and took a deep breath. After, Triceramon turned her attention towards her. "What now?"  
"So you're a fairy, right?" the triceratops announced. "Would you mind coming closer so that I can see you?"  
That got her a sigh. Though, it was then followed by a slow flyaround for Ryouma's mount.

"Yes." Titania answered as she noticed Triceramon's wings. "You wish to be a fairy?"

"Of course." Triceramon answered and watched her newfound friend perk up. "You can do something about it?"

"Maybe." Titania whispered, making her way back over to Hailey. "I'll have to check my pro-, I mean spells for one in particular."

Triceramon gave a nod, right as Miki pulled her bokken's. Of course, that got her a glance from both Ren and Sella.

"Let's not be hasty." Sella whispered. "Though, I don't think you told us about your grudge with these guys."

Miki took a deep breath. After, she got off Sella and made her way over to Hailey.

"I wouldn't call it that." she whispered and began petting the pug. "More of a misunderstanding."

"Ruff!" Hailey announced and gave Miki a lick. After, the swordswoman made her way back to Sella.

"Uh… do you want to come with us?" Airu inquired and watched the pug perk up. Of course, this came right as her partner's burst onto the scene.

"Where do you think you're taking her?!" GamblerNekomon announced, NunGabumon shaking her finger their way. "You better not be thinking of kidnapping her either!"

Man, your girlfriends sure are quite possessive. I think you might want to stick to Titania when it comes to your fun times. Especially when you want to do the truy adult stuff.

"Shut up!" the cat gambler continued. "We are all her slaves. That way, no male or female can have her!"

"Yeah!" NunGabumon added as Airu and Cho nearly fell off of Parasimon. Nice to see these folks are still a comple bag of hammers.

That remark got Chaos a look. So she took a deep breath.

Fine. You group of interesting people.

"We were just asking if she wanted to come with us to the bank." Cho explained and watched GamblerNekomon roll her eyes.

"Then you want to keep her for yourself then?" Gamblernekomon shouted, completely missing the point. Though, that's to be expected from a servant of lust. "Shut up…"

Man, can't take a joke can you? No wonder you're type sticks to being succubi and creatures of the night.

"Is that true, Titania?" NunGabumon inquired and got a nod in return. "Mystery solved, then."

Carefully, she picked Hailey up and walked up to Triceramon. NekoGamblermon followed right behind. Though, she seemed to be in a mood. But that could be chalked up to having to hunt her partner down for the umpteenth time.

"Could we have a ride?"

Triceramon gave a nod and watched the four join the already two passengers on her back. While a slightly heavier load, Triceramon managed to keep the pace with her smaller, lighter counterparts.

"So your friends know that you were spying on us?" Airu inquired and watched Hailey perk up, giving her a low bark in return. "So, yes then?"

"Yeah." Titania responded and floated over to the trapper. "With all these time shifts, it has become far harder to keep track of what's still the same and what has changed."

It always seem to come down to the time shifts, doesn't it? Why can't it be something like a matter of cookies or perhaps even a civil suit. Is that too much too ask for? Or with you guys, is that asking for the impossible?

"Uh…" Astamon remarked and shrugged, the shopping center coming into view. Currently, there was construction going on at the precure pop-up store and the surrounding blocks. No doubt, the result of Cure Sunshine and her tambourine.

"Speaking of which," Airu added as they passed by the destruction created the day before. While there had no reports of people hurt or dying, there was still a lot of people in the hospital. "So this is kinda our faults this time?"

No.

Airu did a double take. While that hadn't been the answer she was expecting, it did little in the way of putting her at ease. But she shook her head and took a deep breath. The idea of throwing herself a pity party sounded nice, it accomplished nothing. That was in the past and for the moment, it would be best to just focus on what was in front of her at the moment.

"You alright, Sugar?" Cho inquired and got a nod in return. "Good. I thought I lost you for a second."

"Oh…" Airu whispered, the mounts making a turn. "Isn't that where our first hunt occured?"

She pointed towards the former swim hall, which was now a combination martial arts school and swim place. Which is still quite an interesting choice. Especially considering the ones who built it.

"Oh yeah!" Ren answered and turned his attention to Ryouma. "Weren't you pretending to be a chatbot back then?"

Ryouma gave him a stink eye.

"No comment." the noble answered and got herself a glance from Hinoka. "It's a long story."

But all that got her was a hug. A tight one to be exact.

"Oh." the doll responded as she pulled her girlfriend in. "That doesn't sound much like you, Miss Rose. Did you come down with something that particular day?"

That response got her an eye roll. Though, I wouldn't blame her. Things were really weird back then and even now, there still some mysteries that neither my wife or I have an answer for. That doesn't there isn't an answer. Far from it. It's just that one hasn't made itself known.

"It's a long story." she continued as the bank finally came into view.

"You ready for this?" Airu inquired.

Cho took a deep breath.

"Of course, Sugar." the baker answered, looking around for a nearby alley. Eventually, they found one big enough to put all three mounts in and made their way to their destination.

Inside, the bank looked like one of those fancy ones you would see in movies and TV. With a polished marble floor and stain mahogany walls, it was like stepping into an entirely different world. It was built by the Branakan government under the alliance of Queen Victoria, so that could have something to do with it.

Of course, there wasn't a line for any of the tellers, who brought their

"What business do you have with us today?" the teller inquired, watching both Airu and Cho walk up.

"I would like to take out some money." the trapper explained as she waited for Cho to come on up.

"How much?"

Airu made a glance towards her wife, who whispered something back in return. Her gaze returned to the teller.

"Enough so that my wife and I to purchase the Plush Cafe." she finally answered, pulling what looked like a debit card out. "Or would that need to be done in multiple transactions along with a copy?"

"Just let me bring up the listing." the teller answered and began tapping away on her keyboard. Eventually, she flipped her screen around and revealed the listing. "Are you sure this is how you want to do this?"

"Yes." Cho answered, not even giving her wife a chance to even answer. "Sorry about that, Sugar."

"It's alright." Airu responded, a smile forming on her face. "Anything else?"

The teller shook her head.

"Not that I can thi-"

Before she had a chance to even ring them up, a large silver coin whizzed on by.

"This is a robbery." a voice announced and forced everyone to turn around. There, a large gold coin wearing loafers and a top hat had made his entrance. A briefcase sat at his side, shaking about for no particular reason. But was of note, was the large 10 yen coin preventing anyone from leaving. Or it was an attempt at being Two-Face. Either one of those reasons could work.

"Uh... Who's Two-Face?" the coin thing announced as his briefcase began to shake even more.

He's a batman villain. You know, like the Joker, Catwoman, the Penguin, and I don't know, Condiment Man.

But all that comment seemed to do was make him even more confused. Which is never a good thing, if you asked me.

"No matter." the coin continued. "I am Ganemon."

He then took his hat off as a metal smile formed on his face.

"Now, if you would kindly just time shift away?"

That was the magic word, with our heroes finding themselves engulfed in a bright beam of light.

.

"Cho Hakkaimon, Is that you?"

Cho's eyes shot open.

Currently, she and Airu were laying facedown in a pile.

"Come on sweetie, time to get up." the voice continued as a pair of hands grabbed hold of the pair. Which had the added effect of waking Airu up. There was something familiar about it. But try as

"Mom?" the baker inquired. "What are you doing here?"

That got her a chuckle. Which was a perfect time to take them in. For this occasion, they had gone with a purple frock and matching pump sandals. Green hair had been tied into a ponytail, going quite well with the light coat of makeup and orange eyes.

"I'm just cashing my check, sweetie." the woman explained as her gaze caught Airu. For a brief second, the trapper could have sworn a smile had formed on her face. "The better question is, what are you doing here and who is this fine lady at your side?"

* * *

Notes:

It's never that simple, is it? Oh well.

.

On our next date: Things get complicated. A lot more complicated than you would think things could get at this point.


	77. ReCHOsion

I don't own digimon.

* * *

For once in what possibly was her entire life, Airu Hokai felt a chill go down her neck.

Not in the 'Oh-god-this-woman-might-tear-me-apart' sort of way, but more in the way of a first dinner with your date's parents sort of way. If she had known that this would happen, she would've gone with not the blouse and skirt, but instead some variation of her usual outfit. Maybe even her sundress that was acquired in Nekove. But here she stood, dressed in what looked to be the outfit of a bimbo while her wife dressed in a just as slutty outfit. Yeah, things aren't going to plan at all here. If there was even a plan to begin with for them.

So the trapper took a deep breath and cleared her throat. She had only one chance at this first impression and if she blew this, there was no take backs.

"I am Airu Hokai, your daughter's wife, Miss…" she started, drawing a blank on this woman's name. Racking her head for an answer, she searched for any time that the baker had talked about her parents. But try as she might, no answer came to the trapper.

For the few brief seconds that follow, silence fell over the area as their friends slowly roused from their slumber. Then a smile formed on the woman's face. Not the nice sort, the kind when you wanted to hide something. But what exactly?

Offscreen, Chaos shot Sachiko a glance. In return, she got a hug. Which she probably earned after a long, offscreen sparring match. Or not.

"Morva." Cho's mother answered and gave Airu a pat to the head. "You must be the... Suzaki's 'second' daughter."

After saying that, she spat on the ground.

"Yeah." Airu answered and watched Cho give a nod in collaboration. "I'm more surprised that you're not tearing me apart."

That remark got her a chuckle, followed by Morva taking a deep breath. For some reason, it would appear that the woman was looking over the trapper.

"I have no idea what you're even talking about." Morva countered, letting her focus shift solely to Airu over her daughter. "She's perfect. Just like she needs to be."

Airu took a step or two back. A whisper follows, with Cho giving a nod in return.

"I do trust that my 'daughter' is not causing you any trouble?" the woman continued as her own daughter focused in on her.

"Far from it." Airu explained, letting her own smile hang to her face. "Though, Cho doesn't really talk about you that much."

Morva sighed and glanced behind herself, mumbling something towards the ground. Then it was back to staring at our married pair.

"My job prevents me from really being at home." she continued, letting her arms wrap around her daughter. "And even when I am, there's other things I need to focus on. Especially when it comes to robots."

Upon hearing that, Cho perked up. But as tempted

She took a deep breath, with Hailey and her team being the first ones to arrive.

"Ruff ruff!" the pug greeted, her tail wagging quite a bit.

"Now heathen, bow before the Grand Demon Lord of Lust and her servants!" GamblerNekomon announced as her partner walked up. "Your maker has arrived and you shall be punished!"

That got the cat an eye roll, especially from Titania. While I guess it would be expected, it still was weird to have them here. Especially without their friends. Like seriously, where are they? I would think that bigfoot guy would be all over this. Maybe that stupid punk rocker. But nah, I guess they had far better things to do in this moment? Yeah. That sounds about right.

"Arf?" Hailey announced and shake her head. "Ruff arf bark growl ruf, bark arf whimper."

I think I may have followed what she said.

"We cannot tell you why we are here." NunGabumon explained. "All you need to know is that we are here on official business and we will ."

Come on, a little hint? Were still not certain what is even going on.

"That woman has already given enough hints." NekoGamblermon added and took a deep breath. "There's more than enough here to figure it out."

With that, they went silent on that issue. Which is just rude. But we guess fair. Which brings our attention back to Airu and co.

"So I'm guessing these are your friends?" Morva continued and watched her daughter make a glance towards that particular group. She gave them a quick once over, only to focus back in on her mom.

"The pug and her cohorts?" Cho answered as Ren and Miki walked up. "Kinda. The pug and their friends helped us get back to our proper time. Outside of that, we're more acquaintances than anything."

After, both her and Airu focused in on their actual friends.

"This is Ren and Miki." Airu continued as she pointed towards the pair. "Ren and Miki, this is Cho's mom."

The pair turned their attention to Morva.

"It's nice to meet you, Cho's mom." Ren greeted as Miki did a bow. "We're sorry if were distracting you from what planned to do today."

But Morva shook her head, only to focus in on Ren.

"You're a boy, right?" she inquired.

"Yeah." Ren answered. "What about it?"

"You sound and almost look like a girl, that's all."

Ren's face turned a bright shade of pink. He muttered something under his breath, following it up with a bit of a smile.

"I am to be a princess, after all." the bomber answered and did a curtsy. It wasn't half bad, especially with what had just happened to them.

Of course, Ryouma and her merry gang were the ones bringing up the rear. And by that, I mean Hinoka carrying her girlfriend in a way fitting of a noble doll. Or former doll. One of the two. We're not sure which.

"And that's Ryouma, Hinoka and Astamon." Airu explained, letting her attention turn to the bank itself. "That should be everyone now."

Morva's attention turned to Ryouma. She seemed to gaze intently over the noble, only to shake her head. After, it focused back on Airu and Cho.

"Hi Cho's mom." Ryouma greeted as Hinoka looked over to her 'grandma'."It's nice to meet you."

Morva continued to look away, the sound of muttering following that for some reason.

"It's nice to meet you, Miss Morva." Hinoka added, a smile forming on her face. "I'm one of your grandchildren, by the way."

She did a bow and stepped back to Ryouma's side. Like with Airu and Ren, Morva finally began her examination anew. Even while the sound of something metallic bounced across the floor nearby.

"What was that?" Astamon inquired as they watched their new friend freak out a tiny bit.

"Oh. Uh… Nothing. Yeah! That's nothing that you need to worry about." Morva countered, trying her best to play it off. Everyone's attention was now hyperfocused on her. Even when Morva tried to look away, our heroes stayed vigilant. Not that any new information came from this exchange.

"Now where did Ganemon go?"

Compared to the bank back in present times, this one wasn't as nice-looking. There wasn't any marble or wood panelling. It also felt smaller. Though, there was still the presence of a large coin blocking them from leaving.

"Ganemon?" Morva inquired and let out a sigh. "Wonderful."

Carefully, she fished out what appeared to be a flip phone and opened it up. The next couple seconds consisted of her trying to type a number in and make a call. Which was somehow a challenge for her.

"Agni, it's me." she whispered. "Well, I'm currently trapped in the bank with the future version of our daughter and her wife."

"Yes. It worked. For better or for worse."

Whatever his response was, it got laughter from his wife. Which isn't a bad thing. Especially in the face of the man who would one day declare war against most of the factions of this world in the hopes of accomplishing something or other. Paints an entirely different picture when you think about it. Makes one wonder. What could have possibly caused such a fall?

"So if you're like Agni's partner then?" Airu inquired and got a nod in return. Though, I thought that Piximon was his. Maybe he had two at one point, for some reason. "So would that make him my uncle-in-law?"

Uh… I would think it would be mother and father-in-law. But don't quote us on that. We're by no means experts when it comes to this. Especially since we might be part of your family as well and stuff.

"Understood, Miss Chaos." Hinoka answered, cracking a smile right after. "Though, what is this about a Ganemon?"

The answer came quite quickly and took the form of a small explosion of all things. Which shook the building, but caused little in the way of actual structural damage.

"Where is it? Where is it?!" Ganemon screamed as he flung a silver coin of sorts their way. "It has to be here!"

Of course, all that seemed to get the coin digimon was a bunch of confused stares. Not at all helped by the area they were looking towards. Which was towards the large coin rather than the actual back of the bank itself. That would probably help in their situation. A lot.

"We get it!" Titania announced and the group turned around. There, Ganemon stood in all his miniscule glory. Which didn't make him threatening in this particular moment. "At least you could try to kill us!"

Ganemon shot them a look.

"Why?" Ganemon inquired, his focus shifting to the trio. "You are observers. Any attempts right now would result in my demise."

Strangely, his target was Morva of all people.

"I have heard a great number of things from the Queen of Dolls." he continued, shifting his gaze to Cho for a brief second. "How does it feel to live with the fact that your future self is about to watch you die?"

"Uh…" Cho started, but got a chuckle from Merva in return.

"Sweetie, you'll understand right after this." Morva answered as she closed her eyes, which came right as she was pancaked by Ganemon. "Please love her for me, Sugar."

And with that, she shattered like an insignificant blip within the larger multiverse. Though, she did leave behind a bit of confusion for our heroes.

But then the pieces of her reformed, taking on the shape of an egg. An egg covered in purple splotches.

So they let their focus be on the egg currently. Well, except for Ganemon and Cho.

"I guess that would make it yours then?" Airu inquired, watching her wife focus in on her. "Or would it be your mother's since you're still here with me at the moment?"

Cho shot the egg a look. Nothing about this felt right for either her or Airu for that matter.

"Maybe, Sugar?" Cho answered as she carefully made her way over. She was taking a huge chance here.

Once there, her next move was to give it a soft tap. Which shot a massive jolt of energy into her body and sent the baker flying into a nearby wall.

"Good, now let me in." what remained of Morva announced, making herself appear in spirit form. Which is just plain rude. Especially as she made her way over to her daughter and grabbed hold. "If you're allowed to have her and I'm not, I'll just take her by force."

Her grip tightened around her 'daughter's' neck as Airu focused in on them. She had one chance and it was now or never. So she dug into her purse, eventually pulling out Cho's rod. Why it was in her purse and not Cho's is beyond me. But whatever.

"I can do this." she whispered and gave the rod a flick, watching it form into Cho's signature weapon. "Now get away from my wife, you bitch!"

The trapper charged forth and pulled the weapon back with all her might. Compared to what she had been possibly expecting, the halberd in question was far heavier than she realized. Once she had reached her destination, she swung the halberd with all her might and connected with the supposed spirit.

But it wasn't enough. Mostly because Morva tried to do the whole human shield technique.

"Do you know how long I've waited for this moment?" Cho's mother screamed as her daughter pushed her away and made a break over to her wife. "To see the fruits of these seeds I planted within you, Sugar."

Airu's focus shifted to Cho over Morva. She wanted to push this voice out. But it brought the risk of bringing an end to Cho. So carefully, she extended her free hand out to the baker. Cho grabbed hold and was pulled up.

"I'm sorry about this, Sugar." Cho started, getting a head shake from her wife.

"You are not Morva, Cho. Your Cho." Airu whispered, tightening her grip on the baker's hand. "Supposed life planning or not, you're my wife. Let's show her all we can do. You have my permission."

Cho nodded and got a spell ready. As she was doing that, Airu shifted her grip on the halberd.

**Gǎnkuài (Haste)!**

"I was to be Sakura's bride, not that stupid fucking robo-whore." Morva continued as she just ignored the charging up her daughter's spell. "So I settled for the second best thing. That complete piece of shit, Agni."

We take back what we said earlier. You're just as crazy as he is. I get that you're jealous, but this is a guy who's a crossdressing prostitute. Even then, his own wife is being hit up by her own partner who may or may not have both a robot and a mommy fetish. I feel like you could've gotten any other man with less of a headache and your future less changed had you gone through any of this.

"Just shut up!" Morva screamed and flipped the bird towards the ceiling.

Our pair charged forward, with both women holding the polearm - somehow. This time, the blow was solid. Time slowed around the pair as Morva was sent flying. But not without flipping the bird towards Airu.

After, the trapper set the halberd down and focused on the now famished. Her arms then wrapped the baker's body, letting the warmth be her embrace in this moment as time returned to normal.

"Cho, are you alright?" Airu whispered and watched Cho's eyes focus in on her. After, the trapper got a return embrace along with a kiss on the cheek.

"Of course, Sugar." Cho answered as the two got up and reluctantly broke away. After, their attention to the now flickering spirit of Morva. "Mom or whatever you are, I'm sorry."

"You bit…" Merva started, only to be approached by Hailey and her team.

"Arf ruff bark." the pug announced, in what we guess is a somber-sounding tone. What? Neither of us can really speak dog.

"Miss Morva, you have commited the sin of Lust and Envy." NekoGamblermon announced, turning her attention to NunGabumon and Titania. "How do you plead?"

"Not guilty." Morva muttered and tried to swipe at the group. It failed. Partially because she was a spirit and partially because the group got out of the way and stuff.

"Hailey, Titania, what is your verdict?"

For what seemed like an eternity, the two entities chatted. About what exactly, were not certain of. But eventually, they did come to a decision.

"Your honor, we find the defendant, Morva Hokai guilty." Titania explained and Hailey gave a bark.

"Understood, your honor." NunGabumon explained as her whole body glowed a bright shade of pink. "It's punishment time."

The next couple seconds were kind of a blur for Morva. In her last pathetic moments, what appeared to be a succubus of all things appeared.

"Hold still." the creature explained, licking her lips in what looked to be a seductive fashion. "Savor this while you still can."

Her appearance took on that of Airu right after. Which did force the trapper and company to look

"Was this what you wanted, sinner?"

Morva gave a nod, watching the demon walk away.

"Aren't you going to punish me?" she called out, but no answer reached her ears. Let alone ours, for that matter. In the end, she just faded away without a bang. Which was best for all of them.

"Uh... I think that worked?" Ganemon answered as his briefcase sprung open, bringing forth a small horde of small silver yen coins. "Now, onto the bank itself!"

For some reason, he motioned for them to follow.

* * *

Notes:

So yeah, Cho is her own mom. But at the same time, not. Yeah, time shifts are weird in that regard.

.

On our next date: Let's tour the bank a little bit. Something is bound to show up.


	78. Heading on

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

At this point, our heroes found themselves in quite a confused state.

A number of question seemed to swim about their heads, with little in the way of answers. Why did Morva just show up, only to be killed as a scapegoat for a larger picture? Why did Hailey and her partners need to punish this random woman? Most of all, what did this mean for

But for now, they pushed it to the back of their minds.

"I'm sorry about this, Sugar." Cho explained. But all that got her was a head shake in return.

"You didn't know that your mom was a crazy and jealous psychopath." the trapper countered. "And that doesn't change the way I feel about you, or the way you feel about me."

Cho gave a nod and picked up her rake. But not before giving a wave to the spot that Morva had stood on. While Hailey and company had made their exit and taken with them most of the evidence. But if you just squinted, you could make out the slight impact from Airu slamming her rake into the woman. Which she had to admit, made her very proud of the trapper. Though, right now probably wasn't the best time for praise. Maybe once they were out of here. Yeah. That sounds perfect.

"Rest in peace." Cho muttered, giving a wave as she rejoined her friends and wife.

"So, could you at least fill us in on what's going on?" Ren inquired and got a deep breath from Ganemon in return. "You said something about the queen of dolls."

"She hired us out. Needed me to get something for her." the coin digimon commented, wiping some sweat off of his face. "Though, she didn't exactly say what exactly said thing actually was."

Wait. That queen of dolls person. Is she that weird-looking woman that dresses in lolita outfits and can't talk in complete sentences? It's been a while since either of us have heard that name.

"Yeah, her." Miki responded as they approached the teller stands. There, someone had taken the time to lock the door. Though, it was a padlock of all things. I can think of a multitude of ways that this can go wrong. Anyone want to hear them?

Before Chaos had a chance to list a single one off, she got a glare from Sachiko.

Fine. I won't tell you guys.

Ganemon mumbled something and directed one of the coins towards the group's first major obstacle.

"Can I ask you something?" Airu remarked, watching Ganemon turn to face her.

"Make it quick."

Airu took a deep breath and composed herself.

"Was it part of your original plan to kill Morva?" she continued. Silence fell over the coin, only to be followed by the removal of his hat.

"Yes," Ganemon started and motioned for Cho to come over. "But only because that was part of my contract."

But all his words seemed to do was make this current mess make less sense.

"Why?" Cho added and received a chuckle in return.

"Her words were and I quote 'Give gift, give future'."

I stand corrected. That just topped it.

Offscreen, Sachiko got whispered something. Wait. That makes perfect sense. I think.

"Are you allowed to tell us though?"

Not yet, at least. Sorry if that seems like a bit of a cop-out answer. We just don't know if our answer is the correct one or not.

"Understood."

Finally, the coin managed to break through the lock. By hitting it with his head. We'll refrain from using the obvious pun. Though, it's really, really important. Thankfully, they headed on through. On the other side, was what appeared to be office space with the usual fixings. Swivel chairs, laptops, desks and general knickknacks.

"Please try not to get dist-"

Before Ganemon could finish that sentence, Airu and Cho were looking over some framed photos on a desk.

"Look! Aren't they a cute couple?" Airu whispered, their gazes currently on what appeared to be a lady knight couple. "Makes you wonder what we would be like if we were in that program."

All that got her was a slight laugh from Cho.

"We do have one of their uniform set." the baker answered. "We can pretend on one of our days off. After we make some small alterations, Sugar."

Airu cracked a smile.

"Of course." she whispered as she let her gaze focus in on Ren and Miki. Currently, this duo was wrangling through the desks with little luck. Though, I'm not certain what exactly they were looking for at the moment. It was probably something related to that kingdom of theirs, knowing them. They had found some of that old lady candy. You know, those weird strawberry candies that are almost overpowering but at least taste like the thing they were based on. Unlike some other candies. Especially the banana ones. Like seriously, who ever thought that was even remotely a good idea. If I want bananas, I'll just eat a banana. Not one of those stupid candies.

"Okay…" Miki answered as her partner pushed away some papers, revealing what appeared to be a small notepad. "Bingo."

She picked the pad up and flipped the cover open.

"You find something?" Ren inquired, watching the swordswoman display her findings. At first, it would appear she found just a blank piece of paper. But on closer inspection, there appears to be something written there.

_Dear Saiso,_

_The princess is still unfound._

_While I'm not sure where they might be, I trust they will eventually come to take the throne. When they do, I ask that you guide them. That way, they can take the throne properly when the time comes._

_-Hiyaito_

"I'm not sure if this is really helpful." Ren whispered, only to get a head shake in return.

"Far from it." Miki explained and patted her partner on the back. "It means that there is a contact we can get hold of."

That remark got her a nod. Though, it's quite likely that her partner didn't have the best grasp of what was going on at the moment. She had a slightly better idea, but not by much.

"Maybe you can check it out that boyfriend of yours." Miki continued as Ren's face turned a bright shade of pink. This was then followed by the bomber muttering something under his breath, not even taking the time to sound anything like a princess. It's pretty obvious, even you haven't seen each other recently.

"I've seen your phone, master. You really want to go out and do something fun with him."

A nod, a reluctant one at that. Which was then followed by the bomber making himself a reminder to change his phone's password.

"Yeah." Ren whispered and cracked a smile. "Just don't follow us. It's kind of hard to get intimate when there's a pair of eyes staring you down."

Miki looked away, finding her attention on Hinoka of all people. Oh. Is there some jealousy jealousy afoot? I smell a love triangle brewing. But all that got us was a look. Boo. We were hoping for more to come out of that.

"I can't promise that."

For that remark, Miki got a groan as they made their way back over to Airu and Cho. That just left Ryouma and company, who hadn't really found anything. Which is a bit of a shame, but not really surprising. They just got a big power-up in the form of Hinoka, after all.

"We get it." Ryouma answered and took a deep breath, getting a slight pat from her girlfriend. "You don't need to rub it in."

Sorry. We'll try not too in the future.

"Are you guys done looking around now?" Ganemon announced. While very angry, he was at least trying to hide it. The key word being 'try'.

"Of course." Airu explained and the group headed off once more. Ganemon led them down another hallway, followed by a couple turns. Which one of the more unique hallmarks of digitalverse design. That, and the complete overuse of white. It's not exactly rocket science to pick out a color, people! Just because the order makes it seem that way doesn't reflect the rest of our design capabilities. At all.

Of course, the hallway they found themselves in fell into that category. It was probably a former order base before getting seized by the lady knights. Not that it really seemed to bother them that much, knowing who's training them.

Instead, their focus was on making small talk with each other.

"Any ideas for uniforms, Sugar?" Cho inquired. "I was thinking maybe dresses with some kind of stuffed animal attached."

Airu gave a nod, clearing her throat right after.

"I could get behind that." the trapper answered and placed a finger on her chin. While she had one other idea, it was something that would need to be shown to the baker rather than explained. "We can also do the usual cafe theme days."

Cho shot her wife a look.

"Theme days?"

Ryouma let out a chuckle.

"Like catgirl, maid, and magical to name a few." the noble explained. "They do that stuff to drum up business."

Cho gave a nod and followed it up by flashing a thumbs-up.

"There's also the matter of theme." Miki added as her focus shifted to the pair. "What sort of cafe do you and Airu wish to run?"

Silence fell over the duo as they debated how to respond in their heads.

"You got an idea?" Airu whispered, receiving a slight nod from her wife.

"Do you, Sugar?" Cho whispered back and got a nod in return. "Then let's both say it out loud."

"A place for all to play with stuffed animals and relax."

"Somewhere that people can take their stuffed animals and have a good time."

So in other words, you both have the same idea, just phrased differently.

"Yeah." Airu added, cracking a smile right after. Cho did something similar. "How much further, Ganemon?"

But she got no answer. So they turned around, only find that their guide was slightly behind them. So they made way back over.

"There you are." Ganemon muttered. "You can't keep doing that to us."

"Sorry." Astamon mumbled and took a deep breath. "I'll try to keep them on a much tighter leash."

Her statement got chuckling from the rest of the group.

"Nevermind." Ganemon continued. "We're almost there, so just keep it together."

* * *

Notes:

A bit of a shorter chapter. Mostly to give the focus on the rest of the cast.

.

On our next date: The end of Airu. Kinda.


	79. Waiting on an end

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

The walk down further into the bank was quite silent for our heroes.

While the white walls did little to bring them any actual comfort, they were still in quite good spirits. Though, they were on the breaking point when it came to boredom as you will now see.

"This is kind of like our first hunt." Ren whispered, getting a poke from Miki. "What?"

"We got outfits in that one." Miki countered and got a nod in return. "You looked quite cute then, master."

For a brief second, Ren turned a bright shade of pink and his gaze shifted to the floor. But just as quickly as it got there, his expression returned to normal.

"Thanks." he whispered, thoughts of Blossom bouncing about his head at the moment. One quick dig through the pockets of his outfit, a phone eventually getting pulled out. "Let's see here."

While there weren't much in the way of contacts, there was no guarantee that his call would go through.

"Is Blossom here?"

Just barely, Ren could make out the sound of pokemon trying to hold their master back. But considering that Blossom was part whale creature thing, this was quite a one-sided battle. You would think that they would know that, but you would be surprised.

"This is Blossom. What can I do for you?" the other end of the phone announced.

"It's Ren. Currently in the past at the moment. Once I'm back in the present, want to go on a date?"

"Absolutely." Blossom answered and licked his lips. "There's a club or two I've been meaning to check out. I'll fill you in when you're back."

"Understood."

With that, the duo hung up. The phone went away and the bomber's gaze shifted back to Miki.

"See, that wasn't too hard." the swordswoman joked, giving her master a smile and a pat on the head. Though, that doesn't explain how he managed to get a call from a building that's currently underground. Probably just good service managing to surpass cruddy building design. Or it's just one of those cool future phones. Probably that.

"You have no clue do you?" Airu remarked and got no response. "Figures."

She shot a glance towards Cho and motioned for her to come over. Cho complied and got something whispered into her ear.

"So I finally wore you down then?" the baker whispered back.

"Yeah." Airu answered, getting a chuckle in return. "We can get it hammered out on the other side of this."

Yeah. It'll just involve transporting your soul into a copyright free version of your body. It's quite the quick and painless process. And as an added benefit, it takes effect in the next rewrite, which would be this one.

"It's just for when it's just Cho and me." Airu mumbled, her remark ignored at the moment. But she could get used to it.

"What's this about, Sis?" Hinoka inquired and made her way over. Of course, this brought Ryouma along.

"Okay…" the noble answered and let her focus shift to her teammate. "Or is this a personal thing and we're rudely eavesdropping when we shouldn't?"

"The latter." Airu explained, looking towards Cho. "It's a married thing."

Thankfully, this seemed to shut them up. Though, they could just ask when they're actually married. Imagine that particular day. Miss Rose here dressed in red, while her bride was dressed in the usual white wedding dress. To make up for their lack of friends, they have the cure dolls and whatever other dolls and action figures can come that particular day. Which would be all of them. Then we could get whatever circle of friends either girl has by then. Which would mostly consist of any friends from school or possible jobs either one took out. And we can't forget about the family. Which means inviting both queens of Nekove and their counterparts. Which basically means doubling your budget on food and drinks. You won't have to have a bar of any sort, since no one drinks. Any particular kind of cake you like?

"Strawberry." Ryouma answered and turned to Hinoka. "How about you?"

"Chocolate." the sorceress answered.

We'll have Cho bake the cake and the other stuff. That just look leaves the matter of a venue. Wait. We can just in that kingdom that Ren is supposed to take the throne of. And Airu and Cho can renew their vows, while Ren and Blossom get married at the same time. For them, we can maybe bring the pokemon and Blossom's mom. For Ren, maybe Miki? Yeah, probably just her.

"Am I really just boring you guys?" Ganemon inquirted. "I don't intend too, but I can understand why."

He took a deep breath and flung his briefcase towards Airu. Just barely, the trapper managed to dodge and fling her jacks out. Which looked more like caltrops now than jacks.

"In truth, I have already found what I was looking for." their opponent countered and revealed a bunch of blank papers. They didn't even look like the kind that would have invisible ink on them. It pretty much defined this whole hunt in a nutshell.

"Want me to finish this all off?" Astamon inquired and got a nod in return. "Okay…"

**Hellfire!**

Astamon fired her machine gun off, dancing about the general area. Bullets bounced about as her teammates got out of the way, Not because they were in harm's way, but so they could have a better view of the carnage on display at the moment. Which sadly, mostly consisted of the weird coin things getting flung back towards their master.

"Need some help?" Miki inquired and got a nod in return. So she charged forth and swung her bokkens as HInoka fired off some spells.

But that still wasn't enough. So, it was time for the hunters to finish the job themselves. And by that, I mean fling grenades their way towards their opponent along with bear traps. Which all culminated in Ryouma strangling him. Gently and kindly. Though, I'm not entirely sure how one's strangles a coin.

_Hunt Complete!_

"Finally." Airu remarked as she and Cho were forced to watch their friend be teleported away. Though compared to the last couple times it had happened to the pair, this one felt different. "I'm guessing this is the result of our conversation?"

"Yep." Cho whispered, watching a cocoon form around her wife. "Sugar, I think it's finally happening."

But Airu shook her head.

"It's alright, Cho." she answered as her eyes closed and light filled her temporary prison. "When my eyes open up. I'll still be me. No matter what form I'll take."

Cho nodded and watched the changes begin.

At first, it would seem that just a name change was all that going to happen. Though, that was judging by the light seeming to dull and then change to what looked like a strawberry blond-like color. But then the light ramped back up, with a scream from Airu just barely audible within it all.

"Sugar!" Cho screamed as she shielded her eyes, not wanting to be blinded by whatever was going on in front of her at the moment. "Please... come back to me."

A deep breath, followed by some chuckling.

"It's alright, Cho."

The baker perked up as the cocoon shattered, revealing what remained of her wife. Gone was the human girl she met all those time shifts ago, replaced by the woman standing in front of her. Her appearance resembled that of those nekonoids that they saw on their trip to Nekove - bulky and not very busty, while still retaining their original height to an extent.

But unlike them, this one seemed to have gone for a pastel pink color scheme. It reminded Cho of a cross between her own armor and the one Airu wore when they were younger. She liked it. Quite a bit, in fact. But that's judging by the drool trail coming from her mouth more than anything else.

While Airu still had the same body size, her hips and waist had gotten slightly larger. Her face even had a catlike look to it, which did put her on par with Cho athletically. Maybe. At least her lips were still available to kiss.

A pair of slightly oversized cat claws had been placed over her hands, with a similar set on the feet. The only real difference coming in the form of a slight deployable heel on the feet to make wearer look slightly taller in some occasions. Finishing off the look, was a curved screen with defined eyes and lips. Though, the lips weren't covered and allowed for kissing.

Who could forget the pair of cat ears on her head along with the bell hanging from her tail via a pink ribbon?

As for clothing, she was still dressed in the business suit that she had picked out for this situation. Which meant that she still fitted most of her stuff she already had. An absolute plus after such a major change.

Carefully, Cho approached. A million things seemed to swirl inside her head as the butterflies left their cocoon and fluttered about within. In between Morva's intentions, her own memories and the dream they shared, things just felt scattered about and almost… illogical. But she wouldn't let either of those things get the best of her and bring this 'reunion' crashing down. But as the baker faced down this threat, she shook her head and looked towards the trapper. While ease wouldn't quite be the word she would use, it was close to that.

"Airu?" Cho called out and got a bit of a giggle. After, 'Airu' took hold of her hand. Just barely, she could make out their wedding rings set within said paw. Of course, what remained of her gauntlet had probably been incorporated into her wife's body now. That way, she could have two cat paws instead of just the one.

"It's Ai now, silly~" the trapper explained and leaned in for a kiss. Their lips met as euphoria bounced about throughout their bodies, a feeling familiar to just the duo in this particular moment. No matter what, Ai would be able to protect her wife. "We fulfilled our dream."

Cho nodded. After, she stepped forward and let her hands embrace her wife. This all didn't feel real right now. Yet as she gazed over Ai, it felt oh so real.

"And maybe get both of us a proper band to celebrate our union. Maybe a leg band like Baste and Cha-Cha have, perhaps?"

"Yeah." Cho answered and turned her attention to the surrounding area. Currently, they found themselves in what looked to be the entrance to a bank vault. "Want to check it out?"

"Sure!" Ai remarked and the two headed off. "Cho, can I ask you something?"

"Go on ahead, Sugar."

Ai took a deep breath and made a glance towards the baker.

"Outside of my appearance, do I seem different to you?"

Cho stopped, making her way over to Ai. Once there, she embraced the trapper.

"A little bit," she explained as her embrace was followed by one from her wife. "That's to be expected. We don't stay the same our entire lives. But that's a good thing. Thanks for that, by the way."

That got her a smile, followed by another kiss. Though, this one wasn't as passionate, nor did it need to be. They had just made it

"Let's see here." Ai remarked as the pair entered. Inside, rows of storage boxes awaited, most of which looked to be locked with no signs of a key. Yet out of all of them, one in particular seemed to stand out.

Morva

"I guess that's the one." Cho added and grabbed hold, pulling it open. Inside, was the actual thing Ganemon was probably looking for. An Airu plush. I guess you could shove shards of something into it. "Figures."

She handed the plush to her wife, who accepted it with loving arms and claws as the bright light truly came over them.

"Ready for the next chapter?" Ai inquired and got a nod from Cho. "Perfect."

When the light faded from their vision, they found themselves back where they were initially. Their teammates were still waiting there, well except for Hailey and her team.

"Airu, are you alright?" Ren remarked as he and everyone else took in their friend. They were probably quite confused. Which is understandable. We don't get anything that just happened either. Outside of these two reaching their dream regardless of what that crazy lady was saying at the time.

"We reached our dream." Ai explained, ignoring the weird looks she was getting at the moment. After, she and her wife made their way back up to the teller.

"Here is your deed, Mrs Ai and Cho Hokkai." the teller explained and handed over the documents.

"So I guess that my name now." the trapper thought and let a smile hang from her face. "I could get used to this."

Her wife seemed to notice her enthusiasm, cracking a smile of her own to match it.

"Ready to check out our new business, Sugar?" Cho called out. Ai gave a nod and the two headed off, their teammates following right behind them.

* * *

Notes:

Let's be real. Robot catgirls sound awesome. Feel free to disagree with me, though.

.

On our next date: Let's make this change official. What better way than collars.


	80. Wedding Collars

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

The ride from the bank to the cafe wasn't that eventful. A billboard displaying when Baste and Cha-Cha's next performance had put on top of a building. It displayed the duo in all their glory, just about ready to go in for a kiss. While I'm not entirely fully versed in their history, they are married. Even if the music studios try their hardest to pretend they aren't or something.

"Ooh! A ballet studio." Astamon announced, pointing to a nearby building. There, a group of girls was practicing up against the glass. And if you squinted, you could make out what appeared to be an orc of all things learning how to do a split. "Maybe, just maybe…"

She took a deep breath and pushed that dream to the backburner. For the moment, they would need to get the necessary fabric and actually measure her. Then it was a matter of finding a place big enough to practice and a teacher willing to take on such a large woman.

"Airu, can I ask you something?" Ren inquired, breaking Astamon's stream of thought for the moment.

"Sure." the trapper answered and got a pet from her wife. "It's also Ai, by the way."

Ren gave a nod and took a deep breath.

"So you're a robot now?" the bomber inquired, Ai stopping in her tracks. So she took a deep breath and let her expression flicker a tiny bit. She wasn't entirely sure how to answer her friend's question. While sure, she could say yes. But was that really the case? Perhaps she was still human under all the pink latex and machinery.

But the trapper gave a slight nod.

"I guess." she answered, trying her best to sound like her old voice. Though now, it had a bit of a catlike tone to it. "Not th-"

A head rub from Cho interrupted her, resulting a soft purr from Ai. Not that it seemed to bother her. If anything, it was kind of welcoming.

"More purrease." she whispered and watched the baker's expression shift slightly. "It was one cat pun, okay?"

More head pats. Which were probably quite heavenly on her latex fur.

"Does that mean that you have special powers?" Ryouma inquired and watched Ai freeze up again. Though, this time because Cho was dragging her over to a nearby pet store.

"I don't think so." the trapper continued as she was dragged in. Her gaze shifted away from the door and towards the machine that makes the tags for collars. "If you want me to wear one, you have to wear one too."

Cho let out a groan as the two made their way over.

They made a beeline for the collar section. Which was easier said than done, since someone wanted to also look at the cat toys. But once there, the couple were assaulted by all the options on display.

"Oh. They have a section related to nekoroids, Sugar." Cho remarked and pointed to a picture of a sparkly pink nekoroid. She turned around, only to find Ai clipping a pink collar onto her. It was quite a sparkly one, decorated with sequins and a little glitter. "Hey…"

Ai let out a giggle and pointed towards the section across from the nekoroids one. This one showed a picture of what looked to be the pig equivalent to the nekoroid - the oinkroid.

Yes, the name needs major work. But it's the same idea as a nekoroid just with pig features instead of that of a cat's.

"I can just make my rings visible, if you want." Ai explained and picked up what appeared to be a matching leash. Then it was a matter to connecting the two. Which possibly the hardest part of this equation, especially since Cho was not in any sort of mood to cooperate with her wife. Even though this was her idea in the first place.

Wouldn't this make her fault? Possibly. If anything, she should just accept the consequences of her actions.

Offscreen, Chaos got a glance from Sachiko. After, it was the white mage's turn for some fun. And by fun, we mean stick the tail on the donkey and darts.

"You're at a party?" Ai inquired as she grabbed hold of her wife's collar and slipped the leash on. "I'll take it off."

"You better, Sugar." Cho whispered and watched the trapper comply. "The whole collar thing? That was rude of me."

She got a head pat in return.

"It's alright." Ai answered and concentrated for a second, which resulted in her helmet receding into the latex itself and taking on her old human head. "Well, at least we know I can appear human if I want."

She made the 'helmet' reappear and the duo returned their attention to the rack of accessories. Though, thoughts of the collar and the leash seemed to stick with the baker. She wasn't entirely sure why, but something about it seemed to call out to her, urging her to take the plunge on this. Maybe it was just some buried facet of Morva that was just coming to the surface or perhaps the result of the weird way that her life was going.

Whatever the case, she let her attention turn to the leg bands. While mostly used by dancers and other exotic performers, they had become the go-to jewelry for Nekoroids that wanted to show they were more than just friends and their bonds reached far deeper than that. Unlike traditional wedding bands though, they didn't cost an arm and leg along with being quite durable. Mostly because of nekoroid's sometimes high activity rates and/or jobs.

"How would you feel about that pair?" Cho suggested and pointed towards a pair that were a nice magenta color. Against Ai's pink colored 'fur', it would at least stand out as a symbol of their love.

"That will work." Ai answered and picked it up, making her way over to the clerk. Cho followed right behind. "We would like to buy this."

The clerk gave a nod, noticing Ai put the leash and collar down as well. I guess she decided to hang onto the stuff even after Cho said no.

"Anything in particular you want on the bands?" the clerk inquired, Ai getting a quick glance from her wife.

"Ai and Cho." she explained. This got her a nod and he got to work. Of course, that got her a glare from her wife. "Hey. This was your idea to begin with."

Cho took a deep breath. On one hand, she could easily admit that she was just joking and convince her nekoroid wife to put it back and move on with it. Especially since they still had to see their newly bought cafe and the state it was possibly in. But at the same time, this was totally a perfect time to be adventurous and see where this led. Who knows, maybe it would into a new sort of love for the pair.

Personally, we suggest the former, no the latter.

"You still haven't the original question." she remarked as her gaze shifted back towards the tag machine. A sigh later, the baker approached.

To answer your question, it was for one of the sorceress's in my wife's care. It was a housewarming party. It's been a good time, but we have one more loose end to wrap up. One that might lead us to you guys for once. Which means the author actually gets a chance to narrate a part of this fic.

Offscreen, the author gave themself a fist bump. Not that it really amounted to anything to the story or anything.

"I see." Cho remarked and turned her attention to the machine. It was a simple and painless process, with the hardest part being the decision on what design she would go with. Eventually, she decided on a heart. Was it cliche? Yes. But did it seem to fit the theme they were going with? Absolutely.

"Hopefully, this works." she thought, watching the machine go to work. Judging by the material, it looked to be similar to the bands or something slightly softer. Whatever the case, the tags eventually dropped out into the slot.

"Sugar?"

Ai turned around and walked over, looking over the tag in Cho's hands.

"I guess you made your decision then?" the trapper inquired, getting a nod in return. She carefully slipped the collar around her wife's neck and snapped the leash on. "While a little odd, we can make it work with the right outfits."

That response got her a chuckle and got the gears turning within the baker's. With her wife now a robot catgirl and her the 'pet' of this relationship, what sort of outfits could they wear? And for that matter, what should the default uniform for the cafe be exactly? While Ai could pass for a plush kitty, that was just one employee. While she had no clue how much the nekoroid suits cost, they seemed like something that was quite a bit out from mass adoption. Though, there was always fursuits or something like an animegao suit.

"That could work." she thought and closed her eyes for a brief second. Inside her head, she tried to imagine herself in one of those suits. At the moment, she was torn between a plush pig woman or plush cow woman. Then there was the animegao suits. While they were more complex than a fursuit, combining the two could have good results. Yeah, something along those lines. While it would require a bunch of sewing and stuff, the result would most definitely be worth it.

"Are you alright, Cho?" Ai continued, watching her wife return to reality.

"Yeah Sugar." Cho joked as they made their way back to the counter. There, the clerk had just finished work on the bands.

"What do you think?" he inquired, watching the pair's eyes perk up. "Do enjoy yourselves."

Both women nodded.

"Of course." Ai answered, watching Cho's shift towards a different part of the store. "You want to check out the outfits at least?"

A flirty sort of smile formed on the baker's face.

"Why of course, Sugar." Cho answered and headed off, Ai following right behind. But compared to the ideas swirling around in the baker's head at the moment, these all seemed unimpressive. Mostly because they looked more like regular clothes than something that would actually fit with the collar. "I had an idea for the uniforms, Sugar."

Ai's attention turned towards her wife, ready to listen quite intently.

"Shoot." the trapper answered and got a deep breath in return.

"I was thinking something along the lines of a fursuit crossed with an animegao suit."

Ai gave a nod.

"Would I have to wear one?" she inquired as her wife looked her over. While their was probably one or two outfits that could be created by just letting Ai walking around 'nude', that would create a dangerous precedent and lots of food safety violations.

"It would be your choice." Cho answered and got another nod. "I'm guessing you're in?"

"Yep!"

For that, Ai got a hug.

"Ready to check out our cafe?"

Ai gave a nod and the pair led themselves back out.

They got back on Parasimon and Ai gave him a slight tap.

"Ruff!" the spider announced, everyone heading off right after. While everything still looked the same as it had before, the general tone of things felt… different. It was as if the world had begun some sort of transition and now couldn't be stopped. Which isn't a bad thing per a say. If anything, it brings the possibilities of new friends to meet, new place to explore and new evils to fight. A perfect win-win in our books.

"Okay…" Ryouma explained as the Plush Cafe came into view. "Ai, are you going to put your collar on?"

Cho turned to her wife, who gave her a nod.

"Of course." the baker explained and carefully attached the tag onto the collar. Then it was just a matter of slipping the collar onto the her neck. "Too tight, Sugar?"

She got a head shake.

"Not at all." Ai whispered as she heard the sound of the leash being clipped in. After, Cho carefully slipped a hand through the loop. The two then dismounted from their spider and made their way to the entrance. "Here goes nothing."

* * *

Notes:

By this point, I was kind of running with no one really checking. which kind of shows to some extent. Oh well.

.

On our next date: Things that we can't quite spoil.


	81. Changing Times

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

For Ai and Cho, the next chapter of their life was about to begin. They had taken out the necessary money, bought the deed and were now here. Of course, that still meant they had to open the door to their new venture and check it out for the first time. You would think they would have done that last one... first but whatever. I'm not one to judge them in that regard.

"Uh… thanks?" Ai remarked and grabbed hold of the doorknob. Cho did something similar, with their appendages meeting and grasping hold of the other on top of the doorknob.

Inside, things seemed nice enough. There was plenty of empty tables and chairs, with more than enough wall space to accommodate lots of stuffed animals and dolls. There was even a small charging station right behind the front of house desk, allowing for nekoroids and similar humanoids to charge when they weren't up and about.

"It looks like a nice place." Ai remarked as the pair continued to look their property over. "I wonder why they had to sell it?"

The answer came in the form of a tin grenade. While by no means dangerous, it was nuisance of sorts to deal with. So the couple kicked the explosive outside. The resulting explosion wasn't that impressive. Especially when it looks more like a fireball.

After, Triglav and Freya of all people stepped out. while the pair hadn't gone through much in the way of changes. But we do have an opportunity to see Triglav here without the stupid detective costume. Which gives us a front row seat to admire his quite feminine body and looks. Yep. He looks like a dane for a detective than the one solving the mysteries.

"This is our property, so please leave." Triglav explained as his enemies teammates made their entrance. "Not only that, you've taken Agni's Morva away. We will not stand for this."

Freya gave a nod, her gaze intently on both Ai and Cho. She muttered something under her breath, but I couldn't catch a lick of it. Nor do I know where my wife is at the moment. Hopefully, something hasn't happened to her.

"We bought it from the bank." Ai explained and holded up the documents they had gotten earlier. "At this moment, I could press charges for trespassing."

Triglav let out a sigh, making his way to the door. Of course, Freya wasn't going to have any of that. Instead, she decided that violence was the solution in that particular moment and pointed her gun toward the married couple.

"First the wyvern and now you." she muttered as she fired off a shot. "Now die."

The projectile made a beeline towards Cho, only for Ai to put herself in front of the baker. They did make sure to unclip the leash. Just in case something dumb happened and stuff. Don't want someone to trip.

Wait. Where did Chaos go.

"Sugar…" Cho whispered as everyone watched the trapper take the blast like it was nothing. Which was kind of anticlimactic, if you ask me. After, their attention turned back to Freya. "Now leave."

But their opponent wasn't in a listening mood. At all. Instead, they got ready to fire off another shot.

"It's been a while, Freya."

The temperature in the air dropped a couple degrees as the doors swung open. And out popped my wife in her ultimate form. Crap. I forgot how beautiful she was. While any archfey could be used to describe to her, it's like looking at your dream woman with butterfly wings. Oh. And filled to the brim with powerful white magic. Can't forget about that.

As for actual clothes, she has gone for just a white wrap dress. Of course, she had her greatsword. Can't forget about that.

_Now Scanning…_

_Loading..._

**Chaosana**

**Deity, Divine**

**Abilities: Holy Magic, Redemption**

**.**

**Sachiko: Does that mean I'm at your level too?**

**Chaos: Yes.**

**Sachiko: Awesome. I guess that means I have a cool alternate form too.**

**Chaos: Indeed**

_Scan complete._

"So does that mean both of you are here?" Ai inquired, only for Sachiko to pop her head out. She looked to be dressed in her normal kimono and sandals. Which also my cue to say hi. Been a while, but let's see what I can do. "Okay…"

She took a deep breath as Freya's gaze shot over to Chaos.

"You absolute bitch." the scorceressmon muttered and pulled out what looked to be a katana of all things. "You disappear over half a decade and go take some woman as your beloved? How fucking dare you!"

She charged towards her former master, only to be stopped in her tracks.

'People change, Freya.' Chaos countered as Sachiko translated. 'I get that me disappearing probably wasn't the best for you gals.'

But all that seemed to get her was a growl, followed by a grab. Of course, Sachiko and everyone else were trying to calm the mage down. With less than stellar results. Don't get me wrong, your odds of actually getting either of them calmed down are quite good for Chaos, not so for her opponent.

"That is no excuse." Freya countered and went for a punch, only to find herself entangled by shackles of earth. "You bitch."

"This is a mostly family friendly fic. Well, I think it is at least..." Sachiko countered and gave her opponent a glance. "So, what's this beef you have with my wife?"

But all that got her was a laugh.

"I don't take questions from order-created scum."

This got over well from her former boss. If anything, it was probably the worst answer she could've given in that moment. Especially in the face of the woman who was married to said order scum. You would think these people would learn after all these years. But oh well. Of course, the appearance of duo's respective weapons did far more than the words coming from their mouths.

Carefully, they approach their opponent. Their allies follow right behind, going with whatever object was nearest to them. Which was chairs in this case. Not the most stable object for a fight like this, but it could work in a pinch.

"Get away from me." Freya continued. "I refuse to accept either of you. I refuse!"

So Chaos put her greatsword on her back, letting her body return to her original form. After, she motioned for everyone to take a couple steps back.

"Really? That's the best you can do?"

But she gets no response. Instead, it's the embrace of a hug and a slight pat on the head.

'I get that you're mad at me and all.' Chaos started as she broke away, Sachiko parroting for her as best she could. 'You have every right to feel that way in this moment."

She took a deep breath and held her hand out.

'Life happens to all of us.' the white mage continued. "Sure, it may result in some sort of loose end or unhappy moment, but that is to be expected. Not everything is going to be endless doom and gloom or all happiness and smiles."

"Fine then." Freya muttered. "What is my punishment then?"

Chaos gave a chuckle as her wife disappeared, assuming her narration duties once more. Which means that it is time for me (the author) to make my exit. Toodles.

And with that, I, Sachiko switched back in.

"Okay…" Ryouma remarked as their attention turned towards their two 'guests' at the moment. While they could kick them out, there were other options. "Anything else you need from us?"

Chaos shook her head and focused in on Ai.

'While we're not entirely sure what your plans for this place are, feel free to use these two as your employees.' Chaos answered and turned around, only to get a tap on the shoulder from the trapper. "Yes?"

"So is she your friend or something?" Ai inquired and got a chuckle.

'It's a secret to everyone." Chaos joked. 'In all seriousness, it was the result of a time shift."

"Oh."

She gave a nod as her wife's attention turned to the white mage.

"Does that mean another time shift is upon us?" Cho inquired, this time getting a head shake. "Thank you?"

Chaos gave a nod as she made her exit, returning to narration duties with her wife. After, Ai and Cho turned their attention to their teammates. While this might not be the idea of today, it was needed for the moment. Especially after everything that had happened at the bank.

"Do you think you could head on home?" Ai inquired as everyone set down their chairs. "Cho and I have some stuff we need to go over with our new employees."

Their teammates complied and made their exit. Once they were gone, the four took a seat in the chairs.

"So we're your employees now?" Triglav responded and sighed. "I guess that serves us right."

Freya shot him a glance, only to take a deep breath of her own. While this wasn't how she had wanted things to go, it was better than dying a brutal death at the hands of her former master. Which we guess is something to be happy about.

"Yep." Ai answered and turned to her wife, giving a nod. Cho cleared her throat as she focused on the other duo.

"At the Plush Cafe, you'll be serving patrons and their plushes..." the baker explained. "By being plushies ourselves. Have I lost you guys by any chance?"

Their employees shook their heads. Though I suspect this is more of a result of not wanting to lose the one job they had just gotten at the moment. Have you seen the job market these days? You have to literally bend over backwards and then some to even get anything part-time. Let alone something that allows you to work less than twenty hours a week. Even if you do find such a job, you're working a ten hour shift because fuck moderation on the part of the employer. Like seriously, have you never heard of the idea of half shifts?

Sorry, the author wanted us to point that fact out. For some reason.

"It's alright." Ai answered and grabbed a piece of paper out of her purse along with a pen. Setting it down on the floor, she began to jot something down. "Let's see here…"

Ai - Aishao LaMoo (Cat) / Deeana Pink(Rabbit)

Cho - Layla LaMoo (Cow) / Rinnie Pink (Pig)

Triglav - ?

Freya - ?

"So you want us to decide on a name and outfit?" Triglav inquired, getting a nod in return as Ai put the pen down. "Hm…"

He held a finger to his chin, debating the options at hand. A sheep might be nice, or maybe even an alpaca. Either one could do in this moment. So he took a deep breath and picked the pen up.

Triglav - Cia Fluffybuns (Sheep) / Virri Plush (Alpaca)

"I wanted to go with the theme you two were going with." he explained, mumbling something under his breath about Sakura. While he by no means envied Airu's father, there were a couple times that he would have wanted to be in that man's shoes over his own. If you get what I'm saying. "This just seems perfect. What do you think, Freya?"

That remark got him a glance from his partner. While he had expected it, Freya seemed more keen on just having the pen then mentioning anything to her partner.

Freya - Heart Cuddle (Dragon) / Sweetie Plush (Unicorn)

"Are you happy now?" Freya snarled as Ai looked the paper over. After, she set it down and gave her audience a nod.

"Now that we all have decided upon on our particular names and 'stuffed' animal." Ai continued and added some stuff to the paper. "We just need to decide on our personalities and relationships."

_Aishao LaMoo (Cat):_

_Deeana Pink (Rabbit):_

_Layla LaMoo (Cow):_

_Rinnie Pink (Pig):_

_Cia Fluffybuns (Sheep):_

_Virri Plush (Alpaca):_

_Freya - Heart Cuddles (Dragon):_

_Sweetie Plush (Unicorn):_

Once she was done, Freya focused in on her.

"Why do we need to do that?" she inquired. "If our sweets and beverages are good enough, that should easily keep us in business."

Her husband shot her a look. Which, how the hell does he even do that? He has two glass eyes

"It's not that simple, Freya." Triglav explained. "If customers wanted just that, most cafes would all be the same. It's the atmosphere of a place that brings people in and keeps them coming back."

That got him a nod and he focused back in on Ai.

"Which character do we want start off with?" the trapper inquired, watching Cho perk up. "Cho?"

Her wife gave a nod and cleared her throat.

"I'll start with Layla LaMoo." the baker explained, her voice taking on a bit of a French accent. "For starters, she's Aishao's wife, meeting her in China of all places. She's the more outgoing between the two, always ready to cook something up. Though, she's kind of come across as oblivious to Aishao's advances. Or does she?"

Ai gave her a nod and cleared her throat.

"As Cho was saying, " she explained, taking on her best impression of Chinese accent as her voice grew slightly softer in volume. "I am Layla's wife. While she manages the kitchen, my duties lie within the front. Not that it stops me from keeping the charm on at all times. After all, you're all my little pink hearts."

For that, she got some clapping from her coworkers.

"Thank you." she whispered and turned to Triglav. "Your turn."

Triglav gave a nod.

"If you're the LaMoo's," the chosen started, shifting into what seemed to be an Irish accent. "Then I am Cia of the Fluffybun family. While I'm a bit more awkward than my wife, I'm more than happy to show you a wonderful playtime."

As the last word slicked out of his mouth, he blew a kiss towards Freya.

"Fine…" the sorceress whispered, mumbling something to herself. "Hi there! I'm Heart Cuddles! I give everything I got to make sure your time here is the most loving time of your life!"

She then cracked a large cute smile and turned her attention to Triglav. How she managed to hide such acting abilities is beyond me. Kind of makes me feel bad about what I said earlier.

"Did I do good, Cia?" she continued and watched her 'wife' perk up. "Yay!"

For once, Freya actually looked happy. Which must be a sign of things to come.

After, everyone's gazes focused back on Cho.

"For my other character, " Cho began, slipping into a southern accent. "Haven't you heard of me, Rinnie Pink? I'm the greatest belle swine this side of the world. So what if I denied all the men by taking a woman's paw in marriage. That the sort of person I am."

More clapping, with everyone's attention going to Ai next.

"Like, thank you, darling." Ai answered, her voice taking on a valley-girl sort of tone. "Ladies, this is like, Deeana Pink. You know, that beautiful socialite that like seriously married Rinne Chambers? That's me! With a belle at my side, I'm ready to play. Are you?"

After the trapper finished her spiel, she took a breath. Then it was Triglav's turn once more.

"I thought you forgot about me. " he announced, his tone now sad and somber. "It's hard being Virri Plush, let me tell you. Everyone sees the sad and gloomy-looking plush and thinks 'why would I ever want to play with her?'. But if you just give me a chance, I'm sure to surprise you."

Freya gave Triglav a slight pat.

"There, there." she cooed and focused on her coworkers. "Don't let my wife get you down. I, Sweetie Plush am happy to tend to all your needs. Maybe, I can be your sweet plush…"

She blew a kiss as Ai scribbled a condensed version of their responses.

 _Aishao LaMoo (Cat):_ Front of house, flirty. Chinese. Refers to everyone as her 'little pink heart'

 _Diana Pink (Rabbit):_ Devil-may-care attitude. Feisty. Valley girl.

 _Layla LaMoo (Cow):_ Aishao's wife. Runs the kitchen like it was her own baby. More outgoing of the pair. French.

 _Rinnie Pink (Pig):_ Cultured, almost snobby. Tends to see herself as the boss.  _Southern belle._

 _Cia Fluffybuns (Sheep):_ An adventurous server who's a bit on the awkward side. Irish.

_Virri Plush (Alpaca): Tends to be sad, needs comforting. Sweet Lolita._

_Heart Cuddles(Dragon):_ Peppy, almost cheerleader-like attitude. Likes to meet people and play with them. Cheerleader/Mascot?

_Sweetie Plush (Unicorn): Quite happy, tries to be the sunshine to her wife. Gothic Lolita._

"Is that good, everyone?" Ai inquired, getting a nod in return. "Good."

"We can work on the suits if you can get the costumes." Triglav explained. "Just give us a day or two."

They got a nod for that.

"Deal." Ai remarked as the two made their way outside. "You two are allowed to stay here, by the way."

* * *

Notes:

This was a blast to write. I'm not entirely sure what brought this chapter about, but I'm glad that I did write it.

.

On our next date: Plushes can have fun. Right?


	82. Plush Love

I don't own digimon.

With the owners now out of the way, Triglav took a deep breath.

Compared to his wife, this new opportunity seemed up his alley. Sure, he had tried the detective gig for some time,

"Let's see here…" he muttered and pulled his phone out. While he was more on the old school side of things when came to cellular technology, that didn't stop him from at least keeping some contact with his teammates. Well, most of them at least. After navigating through the menus

"Hey Sakura." he announced, waiting for the other end of the conversation to pick up. "It's...Been a while."

A sigh, followed by the licking of lips. He was used to this, among the many other things that his friend came with.

"You know to not call me that name at this hour." the voice on the other end remarked.

"Then what is your name now?"

That got him a bit of laughter, which seemed a bit on the feminine side.

"It's Sakura Springs." the voice explained.

Excuse us while we go bang our heads against a wall. The point of a code name is to not have it be part of your actual name. What part of this don't you get?

"If we're going by our other code names, then I'm Yuu Love." Triglav joked and took a deep breath. "Man, those were the days."

A chuckle followed.

"Yep." Sakura answered. "What do you need, darling?"

Triglav took a deep breath.

"Do you think you and Jes could come over?" he asked. "Your daughter bought a cafe and I need your help making some plushuits."

"Why of course." Sakura answered and appeared before the chosen and his partner. Unlike his look from earlier, the housewife looked mostly presentable. His face had been lightly coated white, with a coat of red on his lips. A black wig that had been styled into a geisha bun sat on his head, complimenting the pink kimono on his body. An obi held it all together, with kimono socks and matching raised sandals. I guess this is somehow a different show from the one

"What do you think?" he inquired, watching the pair look him over.

"It's interesting." Freya remarked, watching her partner's gaze get glued to Sakura. While it did push the thought of a certain other from her head, It wasn't enough. You can visit if you want, I could even make you a life-sized plush.

"You would?" she whispered, perking up as she heard that. Images of the finished project danced in her head for better or worse.

"Woges of the finished product ndehful, dahling." Triglav added, getting a slight chuckle in return. "I did it, didn't I?"

Sakura nodded.

"I guess being out of the game hasn't taken your edge away."

Freya rolled her eyes. After, she muttered something under her breath. Her attention turned to the drag queen and her husband, picking a tape measure out from her dress.

"Measurements." she chimed and got a look from Jes. Since we're not entirely sure if digimon exist here or not. "What?"

The royal knight cracked a smile, taking on the form of a human female. Of course, they went with a boob tube and a very mini skirt. Their face was a bit on the slutty side with a thick coat of lipstick and blush. Light blue eyeshadow surrounded the eye along with a bunch of mascara to boot. All of this was finished off by a very fake blonde wig filled with curls.

"This better?" they joked, only to get a glare in return. "I can do measurements too."

"Fine." Freya remarked. "Anything in particular that you want me to call you?"

"Lady." Jes answered as they were handed the tape measure. "Master wishes for me to become something like that one day. A man so girly, so feminine, so submissive that the only one they could possibly marry is him."

Freya stared at the transformed creature, unsure of how to really answer them. Lady seemed to have their hands on the sides of their face, fantasizing about the big day.

"You do realize Sakura is married, right?" Freya countered and got a girly chuckle in return as Lady switched their outfit to a frilly dress. Now, a large ribbon hung prominently in their hair.

"Last time shift or something, Youko agreed to a separation." Lady whispered and knelt down. "Said something about accepting their differences and that she had someone she wished to devote her full love to. So, she got to keep the kids and let Sakura find a better person for himself."

Freya took a deep breath. While she was not the one to ask, she could sort of see that. Though, her last talk with Delia consisted mostly of the supposed lord of Lust getting pointers on when it came to bedroom activities. Which she was happy to supply. For the small price of a couple bags of gummy bears. She would have to check back on her 'student', but that was for another day. Especially since she needed to make sure that the one taking her measurements was actually doing it right.

"Now hold still." Lady whispered, wrapping the tape around her head. "We don't want me to make a mistake."

Freya groaned and shifted her gaze towards her husband. While Sakura was taking Triglav's measurements, he was also trying to make a romantic move. Which seemed like an awful idea.

"I know you two had a fling, but you can keep that stuff for outside of here."

"Of couhse, dahling." Triglav answered as Lady moved to the torso area. "I wasn't thinking of doing such a thing."

That got the chosen another look.

"I need you to hold still." Lady reminded, getting a groan in return. Thankfully, it didn't take them long to get that done. "Last part."

This time, there was no growling.

"Would you mind if I ask you something?" Freya inquired.

"Shoot." Lady whispered.

"Do you remember that time the queen of dolls tried to kill us all with glitter?"

That got her a few seconds of silence, followed by laughter.

"How about when she tried to convince us that veggie costumes were the next big thing when it came to sex. Like seriously, who wants to fuck someone in a tomato costume?"

Freya chuckled, letting the images form in her head.

"Personally, I'm more of a carrot sort of person." Lady answered, getting a look from their subject. "Especially the kind that can go in both holes."

That got the wannabe human a glance, followed by a shaking of the head. While the occasional innuendo was alright, you can't be that obvious. We're trying for something classy.

"Fine." Lady muttered and made a piece of paper appear, writing something down on it. After, they handed it over to Freya. "Here you go."

"Thank you." she answered and looked down the sheet. "We can start off with Heart."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. With Ai and Cho providing the outfits, they were to bound to be something purple and/or pink. So, she should go with a color that would at least complement it. Maybe one that would catch Chao's eye and get maybe a cuddle of some sort. Which, okay. I'll give you that.

"Any color in particular?" Lady responded and broke Freya's chain of thought.

"Pastel blue." she answered, focusing in on her husband. Currently, Sakura had just finished the last of his measurements and was now writing them down. Along with those of the cafe's owners, hopefully. "Though, I wouldn't mind some pastel red accents."

Lady nodded and closed their eyes, kneeling down right after. Their hands then grab hold of Freya's feet, her shoes disappearing. In place of them, was a set of large plushlike dragon talons with pastel red dragon claws. The hands continued upwards, the bottom half of Freya's mech suit disappearing as the leg portion of the plush outfit took its place. Judging by the way

"My legs look quite nice." Freya thought, her focus now on her much thicker, but quite slender lower half. "I had my doubts, but I think I've been brought around to their idea."

Lady gave a nod and moved their hands upward, reaching the sorceress's torso. The rest of the mecha suit being replaced by the body of the plush dragon. Along with giving her a slightly larger appearance, Freya's looked to be now in the 'c' range.

"So bouncy…" she thought, using a now taloned hand to squeeze one of her mammaries. Out of the corner of her eye, she could make out an envious Triglav. Though, he seemed to be lost in thought. "You want a pair like these, don't you?"

Offscreen, Chaos looked to her wife and signed a deep breath. In return, she got a hug of sorts and a suggestion of sorts. That should hold her over for the moment.

"Yes, dahling." Triglav answered and got motioned to come over. "This betteh not be a thap."

"Nonsense." Freya remarked, her voice raising slightly and taking on a more girly tone. "I just want to give you a kiss. Maybe one to my ex too."

By this point, Lady was working on the tail and wings. Not that Triglav was really focusing on that. No, his eyes were on the large mounds.

"Put a hand on them." Freya cooed, her neck now covered in plush fur. "Feel them up."

Triglav complied and gave his wife's bust a squeeze, then another. By the time that Freya's transformation finished, her husband had his chest right on his bust.

"Old habits die hard, especially for someone like you." Sakura reminded and gave Triglav a pat on the back. "Though, what do you think of Heart?"

Triglav looked his wife over, ignoring the fact that

"She's phetty." Triglav answered as Lady's attention turned to him. "I'm heady."

That got him a nod, with Lady beginning the process once more. Compared to the first time, it seemed to go quicker.

Gone were the man's shoes and pants, having been replaced by the feet of a sheep. His legs were covered by white wool.

"It feels good." Triglav remarked, letting out a bit of a baa right after. Lady moved to his chest, giving it a bust similar to that of his wife's. It might even be slightly larger than Freya's. "Look et thet, hun."

Heart just blushed, possibly imagining what her wife would look in the outfit that Ai and Cho would bringing in. Probably a maid dress. Cia would look quite cute in that. She returned her gaze towards the sheep, who currently was feeling herself out. Of course, thoughts of her ex were also dancing about. Can't forget about her.

"One kissy?" she inquired, getting a sigh in return.

"One kiss." Cia answered and the two embraced. "I thought I taught you better."

A chuckle. Followed by another kiss, which left behind a slight imprint on their costumes.

"Is that a better kissy?" Heart answered. "I'm saving my love when she comes."

"Yeah." Cia responded, only for Lady to get them ready for their next costume. "Next costume?"

A nod. She gave a smile, watching her sheep hooves being replaced with that of an Alpaca's. Unlike the previous costume, this one seemed to have gone for black fur. Along with that, the chest portion was quite flat. If it weren't for the head looking kind of feminine, one would possibly accused her of being a crossdresser. Which would just make Virri very sad.

Not that this was hard, with the stream of negative messages echoing within.

"You'll never become the person you want to be."

"Just give up, you idiot."

"It isn't worth it."

But then a hoof touched her back. She turns around, finding herself staring down a unicorn girl. Personally, I prefer the dragon over the unicorn. But that's just personal preference and stuff.

"Sweetie?"

Virri found herself wrapped up in a hug.

"Don't listen to those voices, dear." Sweetie explained, Virri's face turning a bright shade of pink. Which made the start of actual breasts appear on her body. "It's a start."

"Yeah." Virri answered as their attention returned to Lady. "So you'll do Cho and Ai tomorrow?"

Lady gave a nod and made their way over to the side of the building.

"Just one more thing." they announced as a ladder appeared. "There. You now have a place to change out and sleep."

Carefully, Virri and Sweetie made their way up, finding themselves in a pastel girl paradise.

A pair of large pink closets with a fluffy bed built for two awaited. Hangers had been placed to hold the various outfits along with the plushsuits. At the moment, the Heart and Cia suits were hanging up, I'm calling dibs on Heart.

Of course, it would seem that the duo had decided to stay in their current outfits for the moment.

"Have fun you two!" Sakura announced as he and his partner made their exit.

* * *

Notes:

These three just needed some love (as in character development). Outside of that, maybe alert a certain member of the challenge zone discord? Maybe?

.

On our next date: Ren's got a date. Ren's got a date. Ren's got a date with a beautiful boy.


	83. Dear Ren

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Ren never considered himself much of a nervous person when it came to social situations.

Sure, there were moments before where Miki would force him to dress in an outfit that he wouldn't normally wear and go to some big event. But this was a different situation. A first date was not something one took lightly. Let alone a technically 'royal' first date.

Of course, that didn't stop his partner from actually sticking around and stuff for such festivities. No, she had better things to do. What things, you might ask? We're not entirely certain. Probably something to do with this supposed kingdom and its location. Can we make a suggestion?  
"Shoot." Miki answered.

Have you thought about looking at a map of some kind? It would seem that this issue could be solved quite a bit faster than running around like a chicken with their head cut off.

Miki shot both narrators a glance. Following that, the swordswoman took a deep breath.

"If it were that simple, we wouldn't be having this conversation." she muttered, trying her best to stay composed and regal. Especially while traveling with her master. Though, that doesn't quite tell us what you actually found. If anything. For all we know, you're making this stuff up. "I'm not."

Fair enough. Liar.

That got the narrating pair some fist-shaking towards the sky.

"Just do your best." Miki explained, carefully giving him a hug. "He might be the one, but also might not be. Have a little fun yourself too. No one wants to have a drab first date."

After saying that, she gave him a wave and went off to who knows where on the back of Sella. Which left Ren to his own devices.

As he stood in front of the Luli's shop, the bomber was quite ready to turn around and just book it. Though, that would run the risk of getting seen by someone and getting laughed at.

By the standards of most shop fronts, it looked normal enough. Sure, there was an anchor hanging on the sign, but that was about it. I guess this was built right after Blossom finished the house or something. Sounds about right.

"I can do this." he whispered and carefully knocked. For this particular occasion, he had gone the full nine yards.

On top of his usual princess dress, heels and wig, he had managed to find himself a proper tiara and opera gloves. His face was all made up and his lips were coated in a shade of pink that would hopefully become Blossom's favorite. While a pain, he actually managed to find some false breasts that were passable. Carefully, he approached the door and knocked. After a few seconds of waiting, the sound of people rushing over could be heard.

"You must be Ren!" a voice announced as a girl popped her head out. "Come on in!"

Ren gave a nod and entered. Inside, the whole place looked like some sort of antique shop related to the sea. There were shells everywhere, with the occasional bottled ship and nautical themed furniture. Which didn't explain why everyone was dressed for a costume party of all things. The girl that had greeted him was dressed as one of those idol girls. She had gone for a yellow and pink color scheme, with a dress that seemed a bit on the short side. Part of the appeal, I guess? Not that either of us had that much of an interest in that sort of stuff.

"Then what do you guys like then?" the idol inquired.

Mecha. Maybe fantasy.

Magical Girls. Oh and the occasional parody.

"Oh." the idol answered and turned her attention back to Ren. "Blossom is in the back."

He gave a nod and headed that way. Of course, all eyes were on him. Which he guessed wasn't entirely bad.

"He looks alright."

"So that makes three in our family?"

"Isn't it four?"

"My, Blossom has made quite a catch."

Ren turned around, finding a lot of eyes on him at the moment. They were all surprisingly varied, which made it far more obvious the two pairs that weren't there. I do hope those two idiots are off somewhere, causing trouble to some person. Fuck. I miss them. Didn't think I would ever say that. For better or worse.

It's alright to feel that way, boss.

Back with the story, Ren's attention appeared to be on a green snake woman. Well, I think that's she is one.

Or not, judging by the glare she's giving at the moment. Which probably should be more focused on us rather than Ren here.

"I'm a dragon." the woman explained. "There's quite a huge difference."

So you're an eastern dragon then? There has to be a cooler name than that? Right?

"Not really."

Fine then. I guess you could introduce yourself then.

For some reason, all the characters looked away.

"Why? We're just side characters for a one-off gag." the dragon continued, shifting what looks to be her kimono slightly. It does quite a nice job of hold her kind of stocky body. "Just pieces that have served their purpose for masters so out of it, they became entirely different people."

Ren just stared towards her for a couple seconds, taking a couple steps forward right after.

"Don't listen to her." the idol responded, forcing their guest to turn back around. "She's always been like that."

That got her a look.

"I have not!"

What about the barney phase you went through for some reason?

"We do not talk about the barney phase." a new voice announced and Ren focused in on a maid in the back corner. On closer inspection, they appear to be a dryad of sorts. They look mostly healthy. "Believe me. It was awful and no person should ever have to bear witness to it."

Oh come on, Barney wasn't so bad. Sure, Sesame Street is better when it comes to presentation and just having characters like elmo. Oh, and if you ignore the fact that it was being used for nefarious purposes and to straight-up brainwash children by an organization hellbent on disrupting the natural balance and stuff.

"Uh…" Ren started, only to shake his head. As tempting as it might possibly be to ask such a question, such rabbit holes lead to nowhere good. Sort of like how sausage is made. Want to hear about that? Wait, we've gotten off-topic.

"Yeah." the maid remarked, her attention returning back to Ren. "What are you waiting for? I suspect Princess Charming is absolutely dying to see you."

I'll give you points for a subversion, but 'absolutely dying'? I thought you were better than that. Oh she just flipped us off. Wonderful.  
"Princess Charming?" Ren remarked, only to be pushed forward by a slight gust of wind. Carefully, he turned around and took a step forward. The wind was kind of annoying, it did make walking slightly faster and made the bomber seem even more regal. Sort of like calling someone 'Princess' before their actual name in conversation. Or having their own personal servant. Stuff like that.

Blossom's room wasn't that hard to find. It was the only one that had been painted a pastel pink color and had these weird raised stickers. Or would those be just regular door decorations. One of the two.

Carefully, Ren knocked on the door. At first, it would seem there would be no answer. But just barely, one could hear the sound of someone scrambling on over. With a sign or two of a possible tripping. But we won't say anything.

"Blossom, you the-"

Before he got a chance to finish that question, Blossom opened the door and revealed himself. Compared to the look that his date has gone with, the sparkle scout had decided he was to be the protector of sorts in this relationship. An odd choice, but the light blue armored dress with matching metal high heels kind of gave it the authority of a regal knight. Their bracelet still hung to the left wrist, while a mix of frills, ribbons and lace had been added for good measure throughout.

It didn't quite have the same presence of say, a lady knight or even a royal protector, but I doubt most people could really tell the difference.

Of course, Blossom had a smile on his face that was just happy to see the bomber. So was Ren. judging by the way their lips were meeting. Just little, since you don't want to ruin your appetite. If you get what I'm saying.

After, they broke away. Which provided the perfect opportunity for Ren to hold still and let his boyfriend admire him.

"So you got the house built?" Ren continued and got a nod. After all these time shifts, I guess it was kind of to be expected. Though, we wouldn't mind

"I like you dress, your majesty." Blossom greeted and curtseyed. "Is there anywhere in particular that you wish to go too?"

Ren let out a chuckle.

"I thought you had a place that you wanted to go to." the bomber answered. "I'm not quite acquainted with the entertainment around here."

"Fair enough." Blossom remarked and carefully grabbed hold, the gust gone now. Though, it would appear that the audience they had gathered were showing no signs of dispersing whatsoever. If anything, they seemed more interested in the pair than ever before. But that could just be chalked up too the shop being closed at the moment and none of them really having anything better to do. Like trying to get into contact with their masters, for starters. Because I'm fairly certain that they must be worried sick about you guys.

That seemed to get our narrators a look.

Wait. Does that mean they still exist? If it does, that means the author can stop throwing that pity party of theirs.

Our narrator's remark got a look. Not that they were really counting that at this point.

"That's one way to put it." the idol muttered. "Sure they came back, but things are different. The spark for what they once did is gone, replaced by a new goal and a new master. Here, except not at the same time."

That's not what I was expecting, not going to lie. But it's something.

"Whirr." a little robot jet fighter announced as it passed over, showering some confetti down for good measure. Which was then followed by dropping down some of those stupid party poppers. You know, the ones that you can buy in supermarkets and grocery stores as alternatives for actual fireworks. But when you actually mess around with them, there complete garbage. Like seriously, why are they even considered fireworks in the first place.

That remark got Chaos a look from her wife. Along with one from the tiny plane.

Sorry. It's just one of those things with her. Please don't take offense.

The tiny plane shakes it cockpit. I guess that means yes.

"Is this really that big of a deal?" Ren inquired and got a nod from Blossom.

"Most of them met on the road." the sparkle scout explained. "I'm the first one in my family to really try this dating thing out."

Ren shifted his attention to the crowd. While he had the little that he was told back at the island place, there was still a lot he didn't know.

"Do your best, sweetie!" Blossom's mother, Aqua added and watched as the two made their way outside. "They grow up so fast, don't they?"

Her attention turned to her seal 'housewife', who's belly looked quite plump right now.

"Yeah." they add, more than ready to bring another little bundle of joy into the world.

Wait. How did you two come back from the dead?

"Trade secret." Aqua whispered as she made her way towards the door.

* * *

Notes:

The title is a reference to Dear Internet. Maybe one day it'll come back in some form.

.

On our next date: Let's find a restaurant.


	84. Out on the Town

Outside, our two lovebirds found themselves in a bit of a predicament. Which was seeming to take the form of their transport situation at the moment.

In retrospect, maybe Princess Ren should've had her steed stay. At least for a little bit. Better yet, have you ever thought of trying public transport for whatever reason? It might save you in a pinch.

"I got this." Blossom remarked and tapped his bracelet. It glowed for a couple seconds, only for a large bull to appear. Which I highly doubt is street legal.

"I ride Empress through town all the time." Blossom explained and carefully straddled the bull creature. After, he offered his hand. Ren reluctantly accepted it, getting pulled up right after.

"You haven't told me about this one, Mistress." the bull remarked and made a glance towards the princess on his back. "What's their story?"  
Ren rolled his eyes. While he was kind of used to having do this for every new entity that they came across, it did get quite irritating after a while. Especially those that were making a single appearance. And sure, he had some doubts about Miki. While his memories hadn't been the greatest since they had started to jump across universes and got themselves trapped here, the whole jump from being some random kid with dead parents to a supposed member of a royal family seemed disorienting at times. Though, that was what his partner had been training him up for. Good job on her part, if you ask us.

"I'm a princess." the bomber explained and got a snort. "It's true…"

"I believe you... maybe." the bull answered and giggled. "Beats out that one guy who was claiming to be a robot or the one who was a supposed ruler of a dead world."

Okay. They sound interesting enough. Let me guess, you know nothing more than that.

"Guilty as charged, ma'am."

It was worth a shot at least. Especially since you guys are complete wildcard in this mess. Which always makes it interesting to see you people at work. For better or worse.

"Thank you." Blossom answered and gave his ride a slight tap. Empress grunted, only to slowly trot forward. After, he turned around and faced Ren. "First place I was thinking of was Mono's. Would that work for you?"

Ren stared back towards his date and cleared his throat.

"Uh… what do they serve there?" he inquired. While as adventurous the bomber thought he was, having some idea of the place would definitely help.

"It's one of those old school diner places."

For that answer, the sparkle scout got a confused look. Which was understandable in this situation. "You know, with the girls on roller skates and cheap American food?"

That answer cleared things up, judging by the way his expression changed right after.

"I'm willing to give it a shot." Ren responded, Empress picking their trot up in return. The next couple minutes consisted of them weaving through the sometimes confusing streets of this particular ward in Tokyo. Not that it seemed to bother either boy.

"So what have you been up too?" Blossom inquired.

Ren took a deep breath and cleared his thoughts. While stuff had happened, where was he to really begin? From the point of the last time shift or from the point that they met? Either option could work in this situation.

"After I last saw you, I helped a friend of mine beat up a clown." he started. "Then the world changed. I guess what was once Great Britain is now called Branaka and ruled by a slime and a catgirl. Beat up some lion thing with a friend and then had to stop a bank robbery or something. Then my other friend turned into a robot catgirl and is running a cafe with her wife and ."

We're quite surprised you actually remember all that, but good job.

"How about you?"

For a few seconds, Blossom stared off into space. Though, I don't think we'll get an answer on how his mom managed to survive and stuff. It probably doesn't matter right now. Kind of like a lot of questions we find ourselves asking in this mess.

"All I've done is get settled in with everyone else." the sparkle scout explained and let out a laugh. "As I told you earlier, the house is complete and now we've opened a shop on the mainland."

Empress turns slightly, giving both boys a view of the nearby swim hall/martial arts school. While there's no one visible at first, one could just make out the sound of two people duking it out. They were probably students or maybe even the teachers. Either one could possibly benefit from such an interaction. Or might just be the mix of the two. It's a secret to everyone.

Of course, that joke got an eye roll from both boys. Sure, we've done that one to death, but it's a good one. Better than some of the stuff that's around these days.

"Uh… sure." Ren answered as Empress turned back around.

"Sorry. I got lost." the bull explained and looked up towards Blossom. "You wanted me to take you two to Mono's, right?"

"Yep." the sparkle scout answered. "Or do you not know where that is?"

He got a snort in return.

"What do you think?" Empress countered. If anything, I think you two should just call a taxi. This bull just seems a china shop away from losing it. "You're not helping."

Offscreen, Chaos gave Sachiko a sigh. In return, it got her a reluctant hug. Which both needed right now. While flowers seem simple enough, they are most definitely not in the slightest. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise. At least our assistant found a nice girl. Hopefully, her date is going well. Though, we did catch her shouting about wanting to be her succubus or something. That's normal dating behavior, right?

"Aren't you two married?" Ren answered, with our two narrators letting out an awkward chuckle.

Yes, but we didn't go through the 'normal methods' that come up when you ask someone how they got married. We went down our own path and it somehow worked out in our favor. We think at least.

Both Ren and Blossom gave the sky a glance.

"Care to tell us?"

I guess. We met on some abridged movie set. She was one of the actors, I wasn't supposed to be there in the first place.

I think it was near the middle part of the first episode. You know, where everyone showed up and I got into a fight with 'Mimi' over some past bygones. I think it was about Mahora or something. Not the one that happened, but a different one that might've not happened.

Whatever the case, we went to blows. It was a similar story in the next episode, though I think I freaked her out that time. Especially since she wasn't expecting that of all things to just pop-out.

Sachiko let out a laugh. Though, she then shot her wife a look.

'Freaked out' would probably be the understatement of the year, Chaos. Though, that didn't stop me from putting up a bit of a fight. Which may have not been my best move in retrospect. Though, after one or two more fights, we came to terms with our feelings. Then we got married a bit after our mess.

Except, we might have met during grade school and dated till we were of age to get married again. Either one works. Doesn't explain why Chao's ex is a furry now, even if she does kind of wants to cuddle with her. Which fair and stuff. She just needs to get it out her system, though I am willing to share.

Chaos shot her wife a look, a deep breath following right after.

"That's awesome." Blossom answered and cracked a smile. "I guess our path must seem weird."

Not really. Unless, you guys have been doing stuff in your off time. You're not, right?

Our pair looked towards each other, giving that look. You know, the one that suggests those things. If you get what we mean.

"Maybe~." Ren whispered and let out a chuckle. "For all you know, we might have had a couple encounters.

Liar! That can't be true. Unless… Of course. You have been seeing each other in between these time loops, haven't you? That's cheating. But sort of what we would totally do. So good on you, maybe? I"m not entirely sure how to feel about that. I guess it's nice, but it means that both my wife are missing stuff. Which is never good.

"Guilty as charged." Ren answered as Mono's came into view.

True to Blossom's word, one could make out a bunch of people on roller skates. Which if this doesn't scream old school diner, then there's the large neon sign out in front. Just in case you couldn't see anything else.

Outside of that, it even had the metal siding with the neon color scheme to boot.

"Thank you, Empress." Blossom explained and got a snort in return. "I'll make sure to get you something tomorrow."

Carefully, both boys got down. After, they took the time to smooth out their outfits and make sure everything looked presentable enough. It would suck if either of them got something on their dress so close to their destination.

"You better." Empress responded, getting absorbed back into Blossom's bracelet right after. Which, is quite a nifty gadget if you ask me. "You know how I am I get really mad."

"Of course." Blossom answered and turned his attention to Ren. "Anything in particular you want to have?"

Ren held a finger to his chin, debating his possible options. While a burger sounded nice, so did the chicken fingers. Or perhaps the grilled cheese.

Before he had a chance to decide, a weird-looking humanoid appeared. Though, they were dressed in a gatomon onesie with a paper-plate like face. How exactly that worked is beyond me.

"Hello there, your majesty." paper plate guy announced. "I see that you're enjoying yourself."

He let out a laugh and bowed.

"You may call me Batsumon." he continued, motioning for them to follow. "I am part of the Raios Empire."

* * *

Notes:

And we're onto the next hunt. Whoo.

.

On our next date: Shoot for the stars.


	85. Up in the air

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Surprised.

Out of all the words that could describe the emotions surging through Ren's mind at the moment, this one summed it up the best out of them all. While he had no reason to believe the things coming out of Batsumon's mouth, there was some evidence to actually 'support' this revelation.

For starters, there was the insistence of his partner and his own murky memories. Then we have the political assassination by Jogwamon among many other things. But at the same time, it felt like he was grasping at straws when it came to this. Though, that sort of thinking could describe every bit of his journey so far. Always seeming like the answer was right there in front of you, only for it to step further out. Now though, it felt like the light had finally stopped and was now within reach. But there was still stuff that he doubted him or Miki knew yet. Like why couldn't they really remember this kingdom in the first place or why they would want to even go back there. It could just be setup for the most elaborate trap ever conceived. Though why someone would go through all that trouble when you could solve it with a single bullet, is beyond us. After all there were far better options if you were willing to give them a chance.

"Ren?"

Thankfully, Blossom broke his boyfriend's train of thought.

"You alright?" the sparkle scout inquired and watched Ren return to reality. A nod followed. "You just zoned out for a couple of seconds after Batsumon said what he did."

Ren stared down at the ground for a couple seconds, then focused on Batsumon. Currently, the cat was filing his nails. Even though he didn't have any. Well apparent ones at least. That would be weird and inhumane. Among many other things wrong with this thing of a creature.

"So I'm an actual princess then?" the bomber remarked. "First off, why are you telling me this rather than someone.. Like I don't know, Miki?"

Batsumon seemed to freeze. While he probably had some answer, this wasn't the question he had been expecting. If anything, this put his whole plan on hold. So he muttered something to himself and took a deep breath.

"I can't tell you!" the wannabe gatomon answered and began to hum to himself for a few seconds, After, he gave both of them a scowl. Which got him a confused look. "It's a secret to everyone!"

"If you have nothing else," Ren continued, "My boyfriend and I are going to get dinner."

Batsumon didn't answer. Instead, he just stuck out his tongue. So, the couple made their way towards the front door. Of course, things couldn't be that easy. A monkey wrench just had to be thrown in to spice things on their part. And not in the good way, mind you. I mean, the sort of wrench that makes you want pick up the weapon and fling right back at the person. Or is that too violent? If it is, then just slam it into the ground. Either method works here.

"Fine then." Batsumon muttered as energy surged around his hands. "I'll just have to make you learn then!"

He gave his appendages a slight snap and the world swirled about the duo. Darkness quickly took hold as gravity got to have a fun time with them.

When things didn't feel like a full-on carnival ride, our heroes found themselves not out front of the the diner, but instead finding that they were in some sort of castle. Just barely, one could make out a serene vista with a backdrop to... space of all places. Wait, what? This better not be something in regards to the time shifts. Knowing out luck, it probably is.

While they had made it mostly unharmed, the return trip seemed rocky. But hopefully not. There can't be much more that could possibly change at this point.

"Welcome to Raio's." Batsumon greeted, giving a bit of a bow. "Currently, we are stand in Gorgon Castle. Does this feel familiar to you, Ren? You lived here before, Ren."

The bomber looked around, only to shake his head. While the marble floors and cerulean walls did wonders to the place, the touches weren't the sort that made one welcome. No, this all felt alien to him. Yet at the same time, almost familiar. But try as he might, he couldn't put his finger on it.

"You alright, Blossom?" he inquired, getting a nod from his friend. After the sparkle scout fished a red and white ball out from his dress and flung it out. Out popped a girl with a bow and arrow. But she was wearing an owl mask along with a green hoodie dress. Which is now a thing here. Though, the author and I wouldn't mind getting one. Their's can be purple and mine can be white with red trim. That'll be perfect.

See what you did to her? Now she'll want to get me one as well! You have to tell us where to get a couple. First the whole dragon thing, now this.

But the bird girl shakes her head. This is a very important question you're being asked right now. And your answer is unsatisfactory.

Thankfully, the bird girl muttered some store name and solved that mystery for us. Which was nice of her. Though, that raises some questions in regards to Blossom. Are the rest of these things human? And if so, do they wear clothes. Do they need food? Are you treating them well enough.

"Uh…" Blossom started, only to get a slight look from Ren. "Yeah, they're all clothed, fed and all that stuff. Just makes the whole transport process easier."

That still doesn't make much se-

Before Sachiko could finish that sentence, Chaos turned her around.

His mom own a weird, male harem. And her master owns a massive harem of girls. It's a harem, Sachiko.

For a few seconds offscreen, Sachiko just stared towards her wife. But, she eventually got what the white mage was talking about. I hope.

"Bloom, I need you to provide cover fire." Blossom explained and watched his summon make her hood all closed in. Wait. That's supposed to be Bloom? This seems like such an odd change. But it works. We guess. "I was going to bring you back some of my leftovers, but now…"

That seemed to get her going, judging by the arrows she was flinging out right now.

"Is that how you plan to answer my summons?" Batsumon responded, watching Ren make a grenade appear. "I went through a lot of trouble to just get you people here. To reignite this empire into a new age. You can't just leave so easily "

But all the supposed digimon got was an eye roll from both parties as their attacks reached him. While pissed, he wasn't putting up a fight for some reason.

"Do you know why this place is even called Gorgon Castle in the first place?" the creature explained and cracked a smile. "It's not because of all the stone, silly"

A snap later, Ren collapsed to the floor. Snake scales replaced his skin as a pair of fangs replaced his teeth. Though, he could still see. So it wasn't all bad.

"You asshole!" Blossom announced and shot Batsumon a glance. "What did you do to him?"

"I made him how he should be!" Batsumon answered and cracked a smile. Of course, he didn't expect Blossom to straight-up tackle him and start beating him up. "Get off me, you little shit!"

But he got no answer. Instead, it was the tightening around his neck that pissed him off more.  
"No." Blossom answered as the grenade went off. "Not until you change Ren back."

Of course, with the explosion came debris and dust. Once it finally cleared, Blossom remained.

_Hunt Complete!_

But no Batsumon. Which is a shame. He has such a cool powerset too. With his costume powers and all. Oh well. He probably would've dragged everything down for no particular reason.

Though, that does raise a question. How are you guys going to get down? If nothing else, you could at least call Miki or one of the dozen or some of those 'legendaries'.

"Uh…" both boy started and pulled their phones out. What followed, was an attempt to get help. Which didn't really result in much. Mostly because Blossom's friends didn't carry phones for some reason, nor did Miki have hers on for some reason.

"I have an idea." Blossom remarked and made his way over to a nearby window. "Bloom, how long do you think you can flutter?"

'Bloom' made their way over and shot Ren a glance. The bomber followed right behind, not really sure what his boyfriend had in mind. But he was willing to give it a shot.

"What did you have in mind?" Ren inquired, watching the sparkle scout take a deep breath and carefully attach his partner to his boyfriend. "Uh…"

"I'll be waiting for you." Blossom answered and cracked a smile as he kicked the bomber, watching him plow through the glass with Bloom in tow. "Go, my princess! Save your knight from this dreadful castle! I'll be waiting for you with a kiss!"

Ren gave a nod. He waved as best he could, up until Blossom became just a blur. Right after, his eyelids slid shut.

What felt like an eternity followed for the bomber, with things mostly being a mix between a blur and complete darkness. Thankfully, he did find solid ground. Bloom also made it. Good job birdy.

Bloom just nods. After, their focus comes upon the one that they were tasked with saving. Which came right as the bomber's partners ran up.

"Ren, you alright?"

Ren carefully opened his eyes, finding Miki standing over him. But instead of finding Sella beside her, there now stood a woman dressed in a green kimono with a chameleon mask on the side of the head. Her hair was done up in a mohawk, which makes no sense considering the outfit but I guess it works.

"No." he answered and carefully sat up, making a glance towards his skin. While the snake imprint was gone, something told that it wouldn't be the last time he would see it. "I know where we need to go. But I don't know how to get there."

For a brief second, he closed his eyes. Blossom standing at the window came right back to him, taunting him almost.

After, his attention turned to the woman in the kimono.

"Sella?"

The woman gave a nod and knelt down. A head pat followed

"I guess a time shift occurred and she became human." Miki explained as she helped her partner up. Ren makes a glance down towards his skin, finding it back to normal. For now at least

"Good." the bomber answered and stood up, carefully cradling Bloom as well. "Let's get back to our hotel room."

Both women nodded, making sure to keep up with their master. It was the least they could after such a long night.

.

Agni looked over the scrolls.

On one hand, summoning two different demons was probably not the best idea. But after all that happened - the time shifts, Mint Suzaki and the death of Morva once more, there wasn't much in the way of options.

"You don't have to go through with this." St Clair remarked, observing her leader take a deep breath. His attention doesn't turn away from the summoning circles or any of the equipment currently in use. "We could just accept that our time is up and just live our lives to the best of our abilities?"

Agni stays silent.

"Fine then. I'm off to cause some trouble." his guest continued, making her way towards the door. "Hopefully, nothing happens to me."

But knowing the way things had gone so far in this place, that was just tempting fate. Don't want to do that. Only bad things happen when you do that.

Not that it look like our resident cameo villain lady got that message. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

* * *

Notes:

I really like Batsumon as a character in Hunters. Yes, he has some backstory integration with Gumdramon. But also, he's one of the few times in the show that they change things up. At least temporarily.

.

On our next date: This is...


	86. Chapter 86

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Ai slowly opened her eyes.

Currently, the nekoroid found herself laying right beside her wife. If her systems were anything to go by, her rest had been quite peaceful. While she did miss having dreams in her sleep, being able to fall asleep on a dime kind of made up for it. She would just need to find some image or perhaps some shots of Cho and her in their cosplay outfits. Or something precure related. Whatever the case, she sat herself up.

But instead of finding their bed in the bedroom at the Suzaki's home, they instead found themselves not there. If she had too take a guess, they were at the plush cafe now. If this is a prank, this would be an absurd amount of work to just go through with it.

So carefully, Ai roused Cho from her slumber. Well, she attempted to at least. The baker was as solid as a rock, with little signs of stirring. Of course, that meant more drastic measures were needed.

"Kissy, kissy," she joked, carefully grabbing hold of Cho's collar and plopped a smooch on the baker's cheek. But still no reaction. Though, there was now a second heart-shaped tag denoting that Ai was her owner. "Dang it."

She took a deep breath, turning her attention to the clock. While the Heart and Regina doll had woken up, they were in the process of getting redressed. So Ai gave them a minute. It was the least she could do right now.

"Do you need our help, Ai?" the heart doll inquired as she let a smile take a comfortable position on her face.

"Yeah." Ai answered and turned her attention to Cho. "Do you think that you could help me get Cho up?"

Both dolls gave a nod, carefully jumping from the end table that served as their home and onto the bed itself.

"It's so bouncy! Boing Boing." Regina announced as she gave Heart a slight push. Which got a push of her own in return. "Hey…"

Her wife shot her a look. While the two had been together for quite a while now, that didn't mean the occasional argument would break out. More of, it was a case of just debating with an insult or two thrown in for good measure.

"You started this." Heart answered, the two making their way towards the slumbering body that was Cho at the moment. So they decided to continue their bouncing escapades, by jumping on Cho. Who wasn't as bouncy as the bed. At all.

"I'm up!" Cho announced. Both dolls made their exit, having had their fair share of fun for the morning. "Good morning, Sugar."

She pulled her wife in, planting a kiss on the cheek. Though, this could be the return result of the kiss she got earlier. After, the couple's attention turned to the room itself. Four pastel pink walls surrounded them, while a lavender shag carpet sat at their feet. A bubblegum colored wardrobe marked 'Outfits' sat beside one labeled 'Plushsuits'. Finishing off the room, was the inclusion of a workbench to do repairs or add clothes and/or accessories to the suits.

"I guess we're at the cafe now?" Ai remarked as the two got out of bed. "I don't remember there being a second floor."

Sakura had that added. I guess whatever happened with Ren caused you two to get here. Or at the very least change the sequence of events in such a way that you two had time to really stay rather than

"Oh yeah. He had a date last night." Cho answered as they made their way towards the plushsuit wardrobe. "Hopefully, it didn't go horribly."

Ask him later. He's kind of a mess.

"Oh." Ai answered as carefully opened the wardrobe up. Inside, it had been split down the middle with 'Ai' on the left and 'Cho' on the right. "Ready to try these on?"

Cho gave a nod, watching her wife strip all the way down. Of course, she made sure to put their pajamas in the nearby hamper.

"Aishao or Deeana?" the trapper inquired, holding up both costumes. While she hadn't expected Aishao to have green fur, it reminded her of Cha-Cha to some extent. Deeana on the other hand, was more faithful to an actual rabbit. Well, outside of her feet being molded in such a way to wear a set of high heels and stuff. Cho stared at both costumes, eventually focusing on Aishao over Deeana at the moment. "Okay."

Carefully, she set the other costume down and unzipped the Aishao suit. For the moment, she ignored the fact that she was a robot catgirl putting on a costume of a plush catgirl. It might be better that way.

"Here goes nothing."

Ai slipped her legs in, staring down towards the plush green fur that covered them. It felt quite good, kind of a strange cross between one of those webkinz and a normal plush. Wait, does anyone remember remember those things? They were all fuzzy and small, meaning you could hold a whole bunch of them at once. Nowadays, there nearly impossible to find in most stores. Which is truly a shame.

Next upwas the torso, which did mean that Cho had to help her zip it up.

"Oh my." she whispered, giving the c-cups on her chest a slight squeeze. "Could you hand me the top part, Cho?"

Cho gave a nod and handed her wife the cat head. After, she watched Ai carefully lower it down. Gone was her regular wife, getting replaced with this lifesize catgirl plush.

"Hug, Sugar?" the baker inquired, watching Aishao nod. So she took a step forward and embraced her in a hug.

Maybe it was the magic of the suits or perhaps the suspension of disbelief, but hugging Aishao felt like hugging a real stuffed animal. Of course, someone thought that it was time to let go, judging by the squirming in the baker's arms. So Cho let go of her and got to getting the matching costume on.

So the baker turned to face her closet and grabbed it. She had been expecting a regular looking cow plush suit, not one with a whitish pink and purple color scheme. It did complement Aishao's color scheme quite well, though.

Compared to Ai's however, hers looked a bit more complicated. Of note, was the lower torso, which had a set of working udders. Probably more of Lady's magic than anything else. She gave the udder a slight squeeze. While they felt usable (for some reason), nothing came out. Yet at least.

So Cho slipped her legs in, getting used to the strange way that her

She carefully slipped the torso on next. While her bust was quite a bit bigger than her wife's, it didn't seem to jiggle as much. Mostly because she also had to deal with the large set of udders that hung on the lower side of her belly.

That just left the mask. Which required some help from Aishao to get it on. It matched the aesthetic, while having a little tag earring to boot on the ear.

But once it put in the proper position, something clicked in the baker's head. She wasn't sure what it was, but it felt as if she was storing her memories of Cho's and in their place were that of Layla LaMoo's. For most people, their first instinct would be to just freak out. But as the images of this persona surged through her mind, it felt… comforting. Seeing her first meeting of Aishao, cooking with her in Shanghai, going through the paperwork just so that she could leave the country and come over. Then there was all the dates. From chinese to french food and everything in between, she had made meals fit for five star places just for this one woman. Aishao handled the management and the like for the work. Now with their own place, they could make their dreams come true.  
"Uh… Would you like a little taste, Aishao?" she suggested, watching the eyes of the green catgirl light up. As tempted as Layla was to take a step back, she held her composure. They were married now, not dating. Such jitters were silly and unneeded now.

"Of course." Aishao answered as she looked her wife over, only to kneel down. "They look quite juicy~"

Lips met udders as she began to suck. While the milk wasn't quite what the catgirl had expected, it had quite the sweet taste to it.

"I could have this all day." Aishao continued, only to break away. "How did that feel?"

Layla let out a chuckle and watched Aishao get back up.

"So we get dressed then, Sugar?" she inquired and wiped off her udders, letting a part of Cho slip on through. "I guess it would be kind of odd to just serve people without anything on our bodies."

A nod.

"Yeah." Aishao added as they shifted their attention over to the other wardrobe. The walked on over and pulled it open.

Inside a variety of outfits designed to fit the costumes awaited use. They even came in a variety of colors to boot.

"How about this?"

The green cat held out what looked to be a lavender-colored cheongsam with a pair of flats. It looked a bit on the tight side and probably wouldn't show any signs of a wedding band, but there were other ways to do that. Earrings were the best idea she had at the moment. But what sort exactly? They had to be removable and to some extent work across multiple costumes/ plush suits.

"Uh… How about hoop earrings?" Layla suggested and watched Aishao perk up. Of course, it was that simple. "If there are any, of course."

She returned her attention to the wardrobe, eventually finding a box of jewelry. It had been painted a light shade of violet. Which one could argue is the official shade of this multiverse. Or was it bluish purple?

Then it was just a matter of picking out the right set for the pair.

"Here we go." the trapper explained, holding out a hoop that looked like a wedding band. "I'll wear the other one."

Layla gave a nod, clipping the earring onto her right. Aishao on the other hand, went for the left. After, she turned her attention to the wardrobe.

"This should do."

Like Aishao, she to had gone for a dress. But it was more of a blue pinafore that left her udders exposed than a cheongsam.

"What do you think?"

For a few seconds, Aishao stared towards the cowgirl. Eventually, she took a step forward and went in for a kiss.

"You're perfect." she whispered and licked her lips, only for the door to open up. "It would seem that we have guests."

Their attention turned to Virri and Sweetie. Who at the moment, had gotten dressed in their lolita dresses.

For Virri, this meant a bubblegum pink lolita jumper with pastel pink colored socks and gloves. The seamestrestry of the dress was quite impressive, with little touches in the form of little flowers sewn directly into the lace and the upper top looking to be designed to hold a bust capable of expanding. Which was on top of the gloves having her name stitched in with girly lettering. Tying it all together was a small pink hat expected on those of the sweet lolita variety.

Sweetie on the other hand, had gone for an impressive black lolita gown with fishnet gloves and leggings. Just under all the silk and frills, a corset could just be made out. While the lacey bodice seemed to hide in plain sight, the effects were quite apparent. Sweetie's bust was already quite a bit larger than her sister, I guess it's more of an appearance thing. Then there was the veil over their face.

"I'm sorry if we're intruding on your personal space." Virri whimpered, only to get a pat from Sweetie.

"It's alright, sis. You didn't know." Sweetie answered and watched Virri perk up, which made her bust grow a tiny bit. "We should go get our other outfits clothed and stuff."

That got her a nod and the two headed back to their room.

"Next costumes then?" Aishao inquired as both she and Layla returned their attention back to the plush suit cabinet.

Thankfully, it didn't take them too long to get their initial suits off. Almost as if they had put them on in the past. Which could be possible. Especially with all those time shifts happening. That's probably it.

"I can go first if you want." Cho remarked and got a nod from Ai in return. "Okay…"

After setting the Layla costume down on the bed, she turned her attention to the other costume. While the pig costume was quite a bit less complex than the cow one, most of it came in the form of the height. Mostly because she was forced to scrunch down slightly to fit in it. Of course, that was on top of getting into the southern belle dress that went with the outfit. So Cho went through the same ritual as before.

First came the legs, which meant having to fit her feet into a pair of hooves. Sure, the suits did allow for a bit more wiggle room, that didn't change the fact that there were still parts that weren't as comfortable. Like the torso, which had the nipples of the sow along with the upper hooves included. Of course, the nipples would be just be hidden by her dress, while a nice pair of opera gloves would do do. The fitting of the mask signaled the storage of Cho once more.

"Your turn." Rita explained and got a smile from Ai, watching her slip into her other costume. Which looked to be slightly larger than the one that the trapper initially worn. Adding to the differences, was the presence of chocolate brown fur. She had kind of been expecting a more exotic color, but this works. It actually made her stand out even more, even without the evening dress that the trapper was slipping on.

"How do I look?" Deeana remarked, doing a bit of a twirl right after.

"Like a million dollars, darling." Rinnie answered, pulling the rabbit in for a surprise embrace. After, the two took a deep breath and made their way out. Only to find that Cia and Heart were already waiting for them. Compared to their counterparts, the dragon and sheep duo were a dressed a bit more 'business'. And by that, we mean they were dressed like a cheerleader and maid respectively. "There's our maid, who actually looks like she wants to have her job."

"I heard that." Cia answered and gave the pig a look. "Especially for someone who nearly got disowned by their own family."

Rinnie gave her a look, only for Deeana to slowly approach.

"Now, now, we're all family here." Deeana explained, shooting Cia a glance of her own. "Just some of us are a bit less civilized than others. That's all."

"Hmmph." Cia responded, only for an idea to come to her. "If it's too much ask, could we see the LaMoo's?"

The pair let out a groan and reentered their bedroom. When they returned, it was the Layla and Aishao that made an appearance.

"This better?" Aishao called out, only to notice the sole earring in Cia's ear. "Oh, you remembered."

Cia gave a nod as Aishao turned her attention to Heart. Though, I will make her my waifu, just you try!

For that remark, Chaos got a look from her wife. Mostly because it's kind of rude to shout about your favorite 'husbando' or 'waifu' when in the presence of your actual wife. Even if they don't mind you having a dragon waifu of sorts.

"You too, I see." she continued and went over to the couple. Once there, she planted a kiss on the cheek for both of them. "It's good to see that my wives are still as great as ever."

The other three woman gave a nod and they made their way downstairs.

"Let's get to work."

After flipping the closed sign to open and putting the plushies into place, the plush cafe was open.

.

"You going to go?" Sachiko remarked and watched her wife's focus turn to her.

'Maybe.' Chaos signed as she got up from her seat. 'If anything, all I would be doing is cuddle with Heart.'

Sachiko took a deep breath, holding out what looked to be a gorgon plush. As in the mythical creature. Except it was cute, cuddly and won't freeze you in place if you looked into its eyes.

"If nothing else, just visit." the geomancer explained, handing over the plush to her plush to her wife. "Please?"

Chaos nodded and made her way towards the door.

* * *

Notes:

Aw...

The after-chapter scene was written on the second draft. As much as Chao's response was justified, she still does care about her former partner.

.

On our next date: We check in on Ryouma and the rest of the crew.


	87. Oh by the way...

Ryouma didn't consider herself much of a sleeper.

Sure, she got her eight hours and all, anything outside of that would be quite unladylike. Yet, things felt quite different now. Sure, the room looked the same as ever, with the cure dolls already at work. But the atmosphere seemed… off almost. It was as if someone had pulled something that you thought meant nothing to you but in actuality, made all the difference in the world. Not that this was something new for her.

"Hey." she whispered, giving her servant/girlfriend, Hinoka a slight tap. Slowly, she roused from her slumber and turned her attention towards Ryouma.

"Yes, Miss Rose?" the doll sorcerer whispered, making a glance around the room. "Oh."

The noble focused in the general area where her servant was looking. While the walls had been left unpainted and mostly untouched, someone had hung a new photo frame. It showed Yukio and Delia kissing. She and Hinoka sat at their feet, while Astamon and Triceramon stood at both sides. Even if it did mean that the jackal gangster had to duck down in order to actually be in the shot itself.

Though, it feels like there should be a few more people in that shot. Like Sakura, Lady and I don't know... Ai and Cho.

"Okay…" Ryouma whispered, taking a deep breath right after. "I guess a time shift occurred then?"

Hinoka's gaze shifted away from the picture and over to the noble. While it didn't look like she had wiped herself of any past memories, that was not something that Ryouma was willing to gamble on. Especially in a situation like this.

"It's entirely possible, Miss Rose." Hinoka answered. "Though, didn't Ren have a date or something?"

Ryouma gave a nod. While she couldn't quite remember if she had either her teammate or Miki's phone number, Ren had made references to getting ready for a night on the town. That, and they all got to meet Blossom

"Yeah." she answered and began to make her way towards the closet. Hinoka followed right behind, the duo actually reaching their closet around the same time. So it fell to the bigger of the two to open it up.

"It would seem that all are clothes are here, Miss Rose." she whispered, getting to work at dressing Ryouma. Which basically meant putting the noble in her usual red dress. It could go for a wash though.

After, she got to work dressing herself. Which meant dressing in the maid dress that she got as a present from her master. She slipped it on and picked the noble up. "Ready for today?"

That got her a nod as the two left their room and entered the hallway. Though, it was then followed up by both girls focus going to the spot where Ai's room would be. But all that seemed to be there was an empty space. They didn't leave behind any sort of evidence at all that they had even lived here in the first place. Which was just rude on their part.

"That can't be." Ryouma whispered and jumped out of made her way inside. Of course, there was no sign that either the trapper or the baker had lived there. "It just can't be…"

Yet as her gaze circled around the four blank walls, it all sank in. The place where so many memories were made. Of friendship, playing with cure dolls under the watchful eye of their owner. Of hate, making not the greatest first impression for the trapper. Of growing to understand these two woman and learning to love under this roof. All of that, just gone from this place. "They even took that stupid costume of mine."

Why did you even go with that in the first place? Wouldn't it have better to just gone in your little doll form? Then you would had the element of surprise, since they would probably expecting someone and instead got a short person instead. Ai would have never expected that back then!

"I guess…" she whispered, her gaze shifting to her companion. "Do you have any memories of this place, Hinoka?"

Hinoka nodded, taking the time to gaze into the now empty room. Tears looked just ready to flow on down, with little sign of stopping. In turn, Ryouma put a hand on her chest.

"There was this one time that I stole some giant pink teddy bear from sis." Hinoka explained. "It turned out that it was someone's partner. So they kidnapped me."

That got her a slight glance.

"That doesn't sound much like you, Hinoka." Ryouma remarked, getting a bit of chuckle in return. "Though, I'm not really certain about who we are at this point."

Their gazes shifted to the carpet. There, one could just make out the imprint of a bed and a nightstand. Sure, there was some glitter and glue mixed within, but there wasn't much in the way of something significant. Heck, I think they settle for some jacks. Sure, they manage to get Youko at the start, their usefulness dropped off quite effectively. Especially in the face of that magical bear trap. You would think that wouldn't be effective, but you would be surprised. Maybe it was the way she acted, but Ai always managed to pull out some crazy strategy that seemed to work. Noe though, they were all starting to become adults. Sure, they would always be friends. There lives were starting to break away. Yet, she was fine with it. It was expected.

"So would you like breakfast now, Miss Rose?"

"Yes," Ryouma answered, letting herself get picked up by her serv- no, girlfriend. After, it was a short walk to the stairs. "Anything on today's agenda?"

Hinoka looked away, possibly trying to remember. Eventually, she focused back on her partner for the moment.

"Taking Astamon to ballet lessons for starters." Hinoka explained, taking the first steps down. "Then I was thinking lunch, where you would help me with my application."

Ryouma's gaze shifted towards her holder. While all the time shifts had been throwing her for a loop for some time, she had thought she had gotten used to it. But this felt different. Maybe it was the already weird stuff going on beforehand. Or perhaps the sheer uncertainty of what her girlfriend might be applying for. Could be a mix of both.

"Relax, Miss Rose." Hinoka continued. "It's just for a job as teacher assistant."

For that remark, she got a confused stare. Considering that was got them into this situation in the first place, I guess it's to be expected that one would want to eventually catch their demons, positive or negative.

"Okay…" Ryouma whispered and took a deep breath. Maybe she was just overthinking this. That could be it. "I'm willing to support you in that endeavor. I could be your assistant and stuff…"

Hinoka took a deep breath, carefully rubbing the noble's hair.

"Or you could wait till I'm a proper teacher." she suggested and got a chuckle in return. "Of course, that would be in a couple years and a whole bunch of college classes."

Ryouma hears the words roll out of her girlfriend's mouth., but they all sound weird. Not for lack of trying, mind you. She was just used to hearing all about the regular Grade 1 - 12, not this.

"College?"

Hinoka gave a nod.

"You don't show up a school with nothing in the way of credentials and just expect them to hire you, Miss Rose." she explained, her feet dismounting from the stairs and onto the floor below. "You need to take classes and get the right certifications. And then, you have to have references on top of that."

Ryouma gave a nod

"That sounds like overkill."

Chuckling. Though it came from our currently sole narrator this time. Who while never employed in a proper job before, at least had some business experience. Which I guess counted for something. Maybe.

"It can seem like it." Hinoka answered and turned left, making her way towards the left. "Anything in particular that you want for breakfast?"

Ryouma held a finger to her chin, debating the possible options. On one hand, a simple meal of just a bowl of cereal and a glass of juice would do, it wasn't very ladylike. Of course, she would have asked Cho at this point to just surprise her. But the baker was gone now, living her life in whatever form that may have possibly took.

"An egg works for now." Ryouma answered as she was set down in her chair. "Scrambled, if possible."

Hinoka gave a nod, making her way over to the kitchen. What followed, was the making of the breakfast. While in no ways as elegant or even graceful as Cho, Hinoka held quite her own. Which was more than enough for the noble. Especially with Youko and Delia not up yet.

"Would you like me to make them an egg as well, Miss Rose?" Hinoka continued, only for the screen door to open. Both girls turned their attention towards it, finding the head of Astamon poking in.

"Good morning." she greeted and sniffed the air right after saying that. "Could you make me some eggs as well?"

Hinoka shot her master a glance, getting a nod in return.

"Does Triceramon want anything as well?" she added and watched Astamon make a glance outside.

"She's good for now."

Hinoka gave a nod and got back to work. Of course, Ryouma took this as her chance to talk to her partner.

"You ready for ballet?" she inquired, watching her partner perk up. "Good. Hear anything from our boss, by any chance?"

A head shake.

"Oh."

The noble took a bite from her eggs. While tasty, it did make her want to see Ai and Cho again. Though, that could be solved by just visiting the plush cafe.

"Yes, but it's their first day." she added, watching Hinoka had Astamon her eggs. "I rather visit once they got everything nailed down and I got my own mission figured out."

Silence fell over both of them. While her servant had hopefully some general idea what said mission was, she had probably thought it was blown over by the time shifts. But it would seem that was not the case.

"Morning!" a voice announced and signaled the arrival of Youko and Delia. Between the two, Youko had gone through the more significant of changes. Gone was the bulky armor, having been replaced with smooth seafoam metal plating. It gave her an appearance reminiscent of Ai's form rather than some bulky titan. It was a nice and welcome change.

A pair of blue lenses look them over, while their attention shifted to the nightwear she was wearing. Which seemed to be hiding a large bulge in the stomach region. Uh… I'm not sure what to really say.

Delia on the other other hand, had gone through a species change. Gone was the humanoid digital thing, replaced by a succubus of all things. Which didn't explain the flowerlike texture or the floral scent that her wings now gave off. I guess that would make her one of those lily kind? Well, that's what the handbook I've just been provided or something.

Oh. she was dressed in what looked to be slutty little thing that just barely covered her assets.

"What? You never seen someone pregnant before?" Delia added, only to get a head shake from both the two girls and from our narrator offscreen. For the sake of keeping my own breakfast in, I'm not even going to ask how the fuck that even works.

After, they turned their attention to the eggs and got to eating. And by that, I mean feeding each other. Which made it seem like it would take longer.

Before either girl had a chance to really watch, the doorbell rang.

"I got it." Ryouma answered and ran on over, Hinoka following right behind. By the time the duo had reached their destination it was now more of a tag team effort. With Hinoka doing the walking while Ryouma got ready to open the door.

"Here goes nothing." she whispered and pulled it open…

Only to find herself staring down a black haired woman with a bunch of copies of her staring back.

.

Chaos wasn't used to doing stuff on her own.

Ever since the accident, she had always had someone with her. But as the plush cafe came into view, the white mage was actually doing quite well.

'I can do this.' Chaos thought and pushed the doors open, taking in the scene.

While Heart was not busy at the moment, the cafe had a lot of people snuggling and enjoy the environment with their stuffed animals. Then the white mage realized that she hadn't brought anything that could be used to actually communicate. 'Crap'

She mimed a sigh and stepped up to the server's podium.

"How may I be of help, you pretty little thing?" Aishao inquired and watched her newest customer just point towards Heart. "You want her as your server?"

A nod, with the white mage making an effort to try and remember. They had met some time in middle school and dated up through high school. After the accident, the time in the hospital had resulted in her rekindling with me. Had it not happened, she would've ended with Freya. But hindsight is 20/20. Or something like that. I'm not sure if I believe in that. Especially in the face of time shifts and the like.

"Got it." Aishao continued and turned to face the dining room itself. "Someone wants to see you, Heart~"

The dragon rushed on over, coming even faster when she saw who it was. When Heart got there, she just scooped the white mage up and rushed on over to a more secluded part of the cafe.

'It's been a while…' Chaos signed, watching her recipient give a nod in return. 'You look lovely, by the way.'

Heart's cheeks blushed a bright shade of red. So she just followed it up with a nod.

"Thank you." the dragon answered, noticing the plush gorgon in her ex's lap. "A proper kissie?"

'Of course.'

I'll let this one slide, especially with how cute my wife looks when she's smooching with the dragon here.

* * *

Notes:

I guess someone is a fan. ;)

.

On our next date: Lots and lots of people. Oh my.


	88. Suiko Rush

As number of actual visitors went, the Suzaki's household sat on the low end of the scale.

Sure, being part of the kingdom of Uroboros would make one think that there would be all sorts of guests and possible tourists. And yes, you would be right. But usually, the focus would be on the castle itself and its royal residents. Maybe they would catch of glimpse of this little house, but then go and focus in on something else. Perhaps go shopping at the gift shop for a nice plush or perhaps even a shirt. Everyone likes shirts, right?

But today, was a special occasion. With Ai and Cho out of the house and Sakura with Lady doing something, that just left Ryouma and Hinoka to get to the bottom of this mystery. Sure, Youko and Delia could've helped, but they were currently engaging in activities that we will not be getting into. Waoit. How the hell do you have have one in the oven? She's a robot, not a human. On top of being your mom! Do you have no shame?

Delia just shakes her head, leaning in even closer to her mom. Wait. Are we sure that's her mom and stuff?

No answer.

I feel like this is something that isn't going to be easily solved. But oh well.

"Uh… thanks?"

As for our mystery woman, she had forgone her school girl outfit and instead gone for a blouse and skirt. I dig it.

"It's been a while, Ryouma." the woman explained and watched her 'sister' look towards her. "Don't you remember me?"

Ryouma shook her head. Sure, this person sort of looked like her, but they could clearly be a con artist. That hired a bunch of children for some reason. Even that's a bit too farfetched for this universe. These are people who wing out. Along with finding that many children that look similar.

"Not really." Ryouma answered, taking a deep breath. "I'm guessing you're my boss… Miss?"

As she said that, Hinoka's gaze shifted to the woman. While she wasn't what the sorceress was expecting, that didn't change the best course of action for this situation. That boiled down to beating the crud out of her in the battle outfit.

"Suiko." the woman explained, one of her duplicates now pulling on her hair. "We're looking for a proper place to settle down."

"Why don't go to Nekove then?" Hinoka answered. "Both of their queens are quite nice from what Ryouma has told me."

Of course, that would not seem that was not the answer the woman wanted. If anything, it would almost seem like she was trying to avoid that particular place. Entirely. Which is she who I think she is, kind of comes across as rude.

"Oh yeah. There." Suiko muttered, her gaze now more focused on the ground rather than the people talking. Which on top of being rude, it was a sign of disrespect. Not something that you want to do around a noble lady. "I rather stay away from there."

Technically, there still your sister and her wife. It's just they been through a couple of time shifts and stuff.

"Have you seen any other homes already?" Ryouma inquired and got a head shake. So she made a glance towards the children, whose attention was split between her and their caretaker. While there may have been a connection at one point, nothing seemed to really come to her. And at first, she chalked it up to all the time shifts that have occurred in the past while. But as she thought about it more, a far different answer emerged from within. It took the form of the girl standing at her side, holding her close. The sort of person that grew on you and felt the same about you. To tell you that they loved you as much as you loved them. Their a word for it, soulmates I think. Not one of those stupid subgenre of fics. Actual soulmates.

So the noble took a deep breath and made a mental reminder to tell Hinoka For now, she would have to hear whatever her boss had to say currently.

"That was supposed to be your job." Suiko continued, turning her attention and gaze over to Hinoka. "You corrupted her into this, didn't you?!"

A swipe followed, only to be returned with a slap of a staff.

"Miss Rose, may I suggest that we give no more time to this woman?" Hinoka explained, getting a nod from her master in return. "I'm sorry, but our business with you is complete. Goodbye"

With that, she swung the door shut and let her attention turn towards Hinoka.

"Something wrong, Miss Rose?"

Ryouma took a deep breath. On one hand, the temptation to just lie and say she was fine sounded great, but would be seen right through. So she let her focus turn to her girlfriend.

"Is it wrong to really not care about them?" she whispered, messing around with her dress a little bit. "Maybe, at one time, my mission was important priority for me. But now, I have other things that matter more than that."

"I guess it depends." Hinoka answered as carefully picked her girlfriend up. "If nothing else, we're probably not going to be able to go anywhere till they been at least slightly appeased, Miss Rose."

That got her a nod as they headed towards the dining room table. Youko and Delia were gone now, leaving the noble a place to think. Or if nothing else, have a cookie or two. Possibly both, if they were filling ambitious.

Of course, their guests had other ideas. Especially since they had decided to bum rush the sliding door with all they got in an attempt at shattering the glass. It was quite cute, but possibly deadly. You know, like a piranha after it's got the scent of blood.

"Okay?" Ryouma whispered and was set down, allowing for her to get her string out. To whip people, I guess? Fuck if I know. "It's to strangle people."

Oh right. You were supposed to be the 'rogue' of the group. Who turned into anything but that. It's been a while.

"Fair enough."

So the noble went for the obvious solution here, even if it was cliche and was something everyone else would do in this multiverse. Grab a knife, of course. A kitchen knife, I might add. What else were you expecting here? Her to just pull out a flamethrower from somewhere unmentionable and burn all their opponents down for some reason? That would be silly. And quite absurd, I might add.

Of course, the noble's attention shifted away from her weapon and towards the outside area.

"Astamon!"

On cue, the gangster made her way over. Of course, this was not without having to wade through all the children attempting to get in at the moment.

"Let me guess." she answered, trying her best to keep some level of focus on Ryouma while the kids climbed up onto her. "You need some help dealing with these truly wonderful balls of joy?"

That got her a nod, which the gangster took as a 'yes'. So carefully, she shook g and got her tommy gun out.

"This might hurt a little." she explained and took a deep breath right after. "Please don't hate."

**Hellfire!**

Carefully, Astamon fired the weapon off. While care had been put into each shot to maximize the chances of it not being lethal, it wasn't something that was a 100% guarantee on the gangster's part. It was far more closer to 63 to around 72%. Not bad by any means, but not that great.

"I'll take it." she muttered, carefully knocking away a couple kids who were in the process of climbing up her legs. "Ballet practice can't come soon enough."

For a brief second, her gaze shifted up to the sky. While Triceramon was not up in the air at the moment, someone else was. So carefully, she stuck her head through the sliding door.

"There's someone watching us." she relayed, turning her attention to Ryouma. "Miss Rose, do you want me to deal with it?"

While Ryouma wasn't entirely sure where Astamon picked up the whole 'Miss Rose' thing, it wasn't something that really needed to be contained. If anything, it was her that seemed to be the only one not on this particular bandwagon. It was the one thing currently that would probably complete her image, outside of speaking in an english accent for some reason. Which just didn't feel right. Or perhaps that was the result of the last couple time shifts. Hard to really know these days.

"Take a shot." Ryouma answered. "If they return fire, then engage them."

She got a nod and watched the gangster's head slide out of the now broken door. What followed, was a single gunshot. Which was returned with a barrage of feathers of all things. Great. This was a setup for a hunt? Wonderful.

"Surprise!" a voice added as a woman who probably showed up earlier in the fic swooped down with Suiko. "It is, I, St Clair!"

Saint who now? I don't remember hearing about you. Or maybe I have and don't remember. But no matter. That doesn't explain what you're doing at the moment. Like, at all.

"Does it really matter?"

Yes. Especially in the face of continuity-driven fics such as this one. If I or the people I'm observing have no clue who you actually are, how is all parties (both characters and the audience) supposed to sympathize with you or your cause?

Hearing that made St whatshername perk up.. I think she misheard the question or not. Who can really tell in this mess.

"In that case…" St Clair responded, puffing her chest to make her bust look bigger. "I wish to become a computer program, the sort that acts a personal servant for the user."

Okay. I guess that's a goal of sorts. Not entirely sure how you plan to do that.

"Why thank you." she continued and took a deep breath. "That's why plan to ransom this woman off. Someone has to want them."

**Spiritflare!**

Of course, it would seem that Suiko had other ideas. And by that, I mean that she shotgunned her captor and made a break for it.

"Harpymon, get them!" St Clair screamed, only for a bird thing to reappear. Of course, that didn't mean she was going to escape. That would make sense. But you know, what were you expecting in this mess of a world?

.

Back at the plush cafe, things were going far smoother.

'Thanks for talking to me.' Chaos signed, watching her dragon companion smile. 'I'm sorry things have been like this.'

Heart just shakes her head.

"You had stuff going on, I had stuff going on." she coos, feeling the weight of the white mage up against her body. "Oh. I should probably get you a drink or something."

Chaos shook her head.

'I'm fine.' she signs and breaks away from her ex. 'I'll try to come back next week.'

That remark gets her a nod.

"Do give me a heads up, please?" Heart inquired and got a nod in return. With that, Chaos got up and headed towards the exit.

'I will.' she signs, giving a wave as she headed towards. But not before dropping a dollar in the tips jar.

It was the least she could do.

* * *

Notes:

At least someone is having a nice day. I think. Outside of that, we finally get to see Suiko. Been a while. Hope you're doing alright. As for why she's dyed her hair, changing it up I guess.

.

On our next date: Who's the cutest? You are!


	89. Little Little Astamon

By all accounts, the kingdom of Uroboros was usually quiet around this particular time of day. For those situated in it's main castle, things seemed peaceful enough. And from their height, it all looked quite beautiful.

But down below, things were not looking as good. For starters, the supposed kingdom had been invaded. Which you would think would be a bigger deal to the people running it. Especially since the entire defense budget had been spent on cake, ice cream and those sugary sodas that come in proper glass bottles rather than a can. It wasn't that big of a budget anyhow.

The walls surrounding the place were usually more than enough of a deterrent than an actual barrier. Worse came to worse, they would call the police. What need was there for an army if you had such large walls and a large titan dinosaur empress thing.

But that was not what I'll be focusing on at moment. No, our focus was upon one of the pheasant families housed within the castle - the Suzaki's.

Which at the moment, was under attack with Ryouma, Hinoka and Suiko trying as best they could to solve it.

But that wasn't quite their fault entirely. If anything, this was most definitely the fault of saint whatshername. Especially in the face of all that happened in the last couple minutes.

"Just shut up." Suiko muttered and took a deep breath. "It's not my fault that some woman was going to jump me out of nowhere and try to ransom me off to my sister."

You could've just gone to Alice and maybe asked her. This isn't rocket science. Unless there something preventing you from contacting the kingdom of Nekove for whatever reason.

"Wait, she's queen now?" the caretaker announced, following it up with a deep breath. "I guess I'm quite behind the curve at the moment."

Was there really ever a curve to follow? The timeline is all over the fucking place. Like seriously, sooner or later, this place might not even be called the digitalverse any more. Instead, it'll be called, I don't know, Neo Digia. Yeah. That works. The real name will probably be far better and interesting than that. I hope. It's something that the author would have to decide on. Though, they might even call it something even dumber than that.

"Uh, okay?" Ryouma whispered and took a deep breath, her attention turning to Suiko. "Anything that we can do with the girls?"

Suiko stopped and looked towards those she had brought down. It had been quite a ride, going from what was an essentially abandoned laboratory place to what was essentially a walled up castle. Or something like that.

"They can't really fight, " the caretaker explained, taking a deep breath as she picked up one of her younger sisters and held them close. "And when they need something, they just shout for me."

Hinoka made a glance towards her girlfriend. While all the memory wipes and time shifts had made remembering an interesting challenge for her, she couldn't see such behavior in Miss Rose. Crap, now I'm doing it too.

"That sounds hellish." Hinoka remarked as her attention turned to Suiko. "I trust that Miss Rose wasn't too hard on you?"

For a few seconds, Suiko's gaze just sat in front of Hinoka, only to eventually return to Ryouma.

"She means you, right?"

"Yeah." Ryouma whispered back and gave a nod.

"Well… Miss Rose was a lot like her peers back then." Suiko explained. "Sure, she had the occasional fixation on a particular doll or toy. But outside of that, she always looked like she wanted something more. So I gave her a task."

"To find you guys a home?" Hinoka remarked, firing off a spell in the direction of Harpymon. It wasn't enough to finish them off, but it did stop them for moment.

"Correct." Suiko continued. "But somewhere along the way, she found you."

Ryouma's face blushed a bright shade of pink. After, her focus turned to St Clair. Who at the moment, was trying to pretend that she had some level of control in this situation. Or maybe she was preparing for some kind of ritual. The sort that turns you into an AI. Not to be confused with Ai, as cool as that possibly sounds.

"So are you going to help us or not?" the noble called out, but got no response. Which is just rude.

"Why would I? You probably use that to take advantage of me."

Silence, followed by weird looks.

"What? As an inventor, my work is everything." St Clair responded. "I will not bow to the likes of you. Let alone those that would never understand my pain."

Really? That's your answer. If we knew what your problem was, maybe we could help you. Or would that be too difficult?

St Clair gave the sky a middle finger. Not that such a gesture would really affect us. If anything, it just makes us more powerful. Didn't think of that, did you?

"ENOUGH!"

The scientist pulled out a vial and consumed the contents. How this helps her to that goal of hers, I'm not entirely certain. If anything, it just did something that wouldn't help. Or nothing at all. Take your pick.

"Now you've done it." she whispered, still getting no response. "Come, Harpymon!"

Harpymon sort of complied, diving down towards that general area.

**Maverick!**

Of course, that put the creature right into range of Astamon's foot. Which she took the opportunity to slam that appendage into her opponent.

"Stupid birds." the gangster muttered, letting her mind wander to ballet. On top of this being her first class, she was most definitely the oldest one there. What if they laughed at her? Made horrible jokes in regards to her height and possible dancing abilities?

So Astamon took a deep breath. At the moment, it was better to focus on the situation at hand and deal with that stuff at a future point. For now, she needed to get this stupid bird out of the way. Then they could move to the matter of all these children and where to put them. If it were her call, she would see which ones were independent enough and then find homes for the rest.

**Hellfire!**

Carefully, Astamon pulled her machinegun back out and fired. Compared to her previous attempt, a whole lot more bullets reached the target. And at first, it would seem that did it. The day was saved and everyone could go about their day like normal. But, it wasn't enough. Harpymon let out a screech, its claws now glowing with glitchy energy. It took a swipe towards the gangster and watched her opponent fall to the floor. But then something interesting happened.

Instead of you know dying and turning into a egg, a young girl now stood in its place. She was dressed in a dark blue tutu, with her gun having already fallen to the ground. Of note, was the head of black hair and red eyes.

Wait. What happened?

From offscreen, Chaos returned. She looked quite refreshed from her narrating duties. To make a long story short, St whatshername attacked and Astamon is now a human kid for some reason.

That remark got her a look. Especially after that happened, it was expected.

"Mommy, Momma, where are you?" 'Astamon' announced and pushed her way through, only to stop at Hinoka and Ryouma. "There you are!"

She proceeded to hug the duo.

"Uh…" Ryouma started. "Mommy has forgotten your name, could you tell us it?"

The girl took a deep breath and perked up.

"Mai, silly!" she answered as Suiko's gaze turned towards her parents. She let out a chuckle and made her way over.

"Congrats, you're now parents." the caretaker explained and bent down to give her granddaughter a hug, "I guess all those time shifts have done you some good. If just a little."

She let go right after.

"I guess." Hinoka answered as she carefully picked up the wannabe ballerina. "Sweetie, I need you to stay with Mommy at the moment. That way, Momma can handle this."

Mai turned her attention to Ryouma.

"Good luck, Momma!" Mai announced, watching Ryouma give a wave and head outside. There, Harpymon and St Clair awaited.

"Uh… Sorry about your partner?" the woman remarked and got a shrug in return. "If it helps, Harpymon can attack me as well."

Ryouma nodded, but gave nothing in the way of an audible response. Which St Clair probably would have preferred in that moment.

"Attack me, Harpymon!"

But the digimon refused. So Ryouma did the natural thing in this situation. Jump on and strangle the bird.

"You idiot!" St Clair screamed and ran over to her partner, dropping her entire body onto the claws of the birds. Ryouma just watched, unsure of how to really react to this. But eventually, an idea came to her. She grabbed onto the beast and went for a ride of her own

"What the heck are you doing, you stupid doll?"

But Ryouma doesn't answer. Instead, she just chokes Harpymon out. Which was surprisingly effective here.

"My name is Miss Rose." she whispered, the grip on her rope tightening. "And I am not a stupid doll."

_Hunt Complete!_

Harpymon's body shattered, letting a digi-egg take over for the moment. Which works in our books. After, everyone's attention turned St Clair. More so they could figure out what state she was currently in than her general state of being.

At the moment, the digidestined was surrounded in a slowly fading cocoon. It broke free, revealing a woman made entirely of pure light or something. Not how I was expecting to see an artificial intelligence.

"I did it." they announced and gave a wave right after. "I get to be an artificial intelligence!"

Yay? I'm not entirely sure how to really answer to that. If my wife has anything better.

Offscreen, Sachiko shot Chaos a glance. But all that interaction seemed to get was the shake of a head.

We got nothing. Oh well. It could be worse, we guess.

With that, she disappeared and left the rest of them to their own devices.

"Would you mind if Hinoka and I took Mai to ballet?" Rose inquired and got a nod from Suiko.

"We'll just hang around here." Suiko explained. "If something comes up, I'll call."

With that, the rest of the girls filed in and allowed for the trio to exit.

"Ready to go?" Triceramon inquired as her passengers got on. "Okay. To ballet, then?"

"Yep, Miss Fairy!" Mai remarked. "Do you know where it is?"

"I think so." Triceramon answered and headed off.

The ride to the ballet studio was mostly engulfed in silence. While the events of the last hour still hung over them, their thoughts were currently on other things. Things such as what sorts of things they would be teaching and what sort of outfits would work best in a classroom. And maybe a visit to the Plush Cafe was in order as well. So Rose pulled her phone out and dialed.

"Ai?"

"Yes, Rose?" Ai answered, having probably just got off her shift. Or was in the middle of switching outfits.

"Would you mind if Hinoka and I swung on by?"

A chuckle.

"Funny you say that. Ren was saying something similar."

Rose looked away.

"Oh." Rose whispered and turned her attention to her girlfriend. "You fine with spending some time with oversized stuffed animals?"

Hinoka nodded.

"Absolutely."" she answered. "Especially if it means that I get to see both of my big sis."

Rose gave a nod as the ballet studio came into view. While by no means the most interesting building, it seemed to have a way of drawing people in.

"You ready for this, sweetie?" Rose inquired and watched her 'daughter' give a nod. "Have fun and make lots of friends."

"I will!" Mai answered, she and Hinoka making their way inside. After, Rose got off of Triceramon and took a deep breath. While the last couple of days had been chaotic mess, it felt worth it.

"They grow up so fast." she whispered as a chuckle escaped her lips. "I wonder how much longer it'll till I can put a ring on it."

She let a smile form on her face. It was a thought for the moment, one that she would need to hold onto.

Eventually, Hinoka exited the building and made her way back over to Triceramon.

"Something on your mind, Miss Rose?" she inquired and caught her girlfriend by surprise. So Rose let out a chuckle and smile.

"Not really." she answered, trying to hide her now blushing cheeks. After, she gave Triceramon a slight tap and they were off once more.

* * *

Notes:

That's one way to solve this problem. The culmination of Astamon's story. The last one. Whoo.

.

On our next date: Let's celebrate.


	90. A sundae for two

The ride to the Plush Cafe was much like the ride the pair took to the ballet studio. Quiet and a bit uninteresting. Not that such feelings were really bothering either the noble or her servant right now. No, their focus was currently on not hitting someone or someone's car. Which are pretty good priorities in our book.

"Anything in particular that you want, Hinoka?" Rose inquired and watched her girlfriend shake her head. Though, she did follow it up with a nod with a much more proper smile. Oh. I think I know where this might be going.

"You." her girlfriend answered and licked her lips in anticipation. "And a sundae. Two straws. Your choice of flavor, Miss Rose. Of course."

Oh. That wasn't how I was picturing that to go. But close enough.

Offscreen, both our narrators gave each other a look of sorts. While I'm certain that they both gone for at least one round, it wasn't any time in recent memory. Maybe it was an attempt at having a child of their own based off some rumor they might've heard out of an old magazine or perhaps even the local sex tape mage. It might just be better if they just ask me. I be more than willing to give them the spell that grants them that. Oh, it would seem that someone wants it. Just don't go there in the future.

Whatever the answer, Rose shot her girlfriend a quick glance. Which seemed to get her a chuckle.

Thankfully, the Plush Cafe was coming into view. So she had her mount gradually slow down until they were right at the parking lot for the building. Which was situated in the back. While there were a couples out there, it didn't look too crowded.

"Okay…" the noble whispered as they got off of Triceramon and made their way towards the Plush Cafe. While the exterior hadn't gone through any changes yet, there were a couple of pastel pink paint cards and its various shades. I guess that's a project for the future. Especially since they had just opened up to the public mere hours ago.

At the door, Hinoka gave it a slight knock and awaited a response. When she got none, it was time to pick Rose up and head on in.

Much like the exterior, the interior hadn't gone through any significant change. Well, outside of some of the plushies now sitting on the floor. That's kids for you, at times. I guess they were awaiting one of the main cast members to come and pick them up.

Whatever the case, they found Ai waiting for them at the reception desk.

"Welcome to the Plush Cafe." she greeted and did a bow. Even though she was now wearing her sundress from Nekove rather than one of her plush suits for the moment. "Anything that I get either of you to start off your visit to our little slice of plush paradise?"

You didn't greet me like that.

"Oh. I didn't realize."

It's alright. I kind of snuck in and got some kisses from the dragon. She's quite nice. I definitely plan to come on back at a future date.

Ai blushed a bright shade of pink, watching Rose get a nod from her girlfriend. Though that doesn't explain why they were act as if they were trying to hide something. It's quite clear as day you two are a dating couple. Not much of a need to make this any more dramatic or subtle. I feel like most of the people have a good idea how you two feel for each other and are willing to accomodate.

"A strawberry sundae with two straws." Hinoka answered as they were led over to a nearby table. There, both Ren and Miki awaited. While Ren had switched back to his regular outfit, Miki had stayed with her usual one. Though, there's no sign of Sella. I guess she's holding down the fort or something.

At the moment, they were talking to Sweetie. Who was trying to get them to hug her. Which I guess in most circumstances would be absolutely creepy. Such as here, to some extent. Not that the bomber was really showing it. No, they were slightly squeezing the gothic lolita unicorn before going in for the hug. Miki on the other hand, was just watching on. Or she could be waiting for Virri to bring their meal from the kitchen.

"You good now?" Sweetie inquired.

Ren nodded

"Yeah."

With that, the bomber went in for the hug. After, he let go and Sweetie went off to help her sister with something. Possibly cooking with Layla. Which made for the perfect opportunity for Rose and Hinoka to take their seat.

"How are you guys?" Rose whispered, watching Ren take a deep breath.

"I've had better days." he muttered and let a manicured hand sit on the table. "Date's currently stuck in some castle, hopefully not dying of lack of oxygen."

Oh right. That weird kingdom in space or something. Kinda hard to forget about that. Especially the way that you were sent out.

"Don't reminder me." Ren whispered, his gaze shifting towards the table itself. "How goes it on your end?"

Rose looked away.

"Alright. Outside of my partner now being the adopted child of me and Hinoka." she answered and attempted to get up. She had some challenges, which brought the arrival of Cho. Who like her wife, had just switched to her more casual outfit. Between the two, I think it might be a good idea to switch between the two. Or I might be missing a fire safety thing here.

Whatever the case, she helped the noble up into her seat. Which was nice was her to do. "Though, I'm now hopefully off the hook with my boss."

That got her a look from her girlfriend.

"Maybe." Hinoka chimed in, pulling out a set of papers to be signed. "Rose, could you help me?"

"Of course." Rose answered and was handed a pen.

"What are you two working on?" Cho inquired as she watched the two get to work.

"Assistant Teacher application." Rose answered, taking a deep breath. "I guess both her and I are ready to move on from all the bad memories and just let good ones take their place."

Fair enough. Especially after all those years. I guess you have to move on at some point.

"Ditto." Cho answered as Sweetie and Virri returned, dishes and sundae in hand. "You're off for the night. As tempted as I am to stop you from getting it on upstairs, just keep it down."

"Of course!"

"Yeah…"

After setting the stuff down, they made a mad dash upstairs. They didn't even take the time to get out of their suits. No, they just got it on.

"That's how they usually are." Ai added as she and Cho sat down next to Hinoka, her gaze focused on the papers. "Sadly, you can't use us as references."

"Why not?"

Because that's biased and stuff. Unless you haven't seen your parents in a long time. Even then, that's still a hazard. Unless you're working at a business that your own family runs. Then it might be alright. But not by much.

"We're family." Cho answered. "By that same token, you can't put Rose or Triceramon down as references. Or either of our parents."

Hinoka shot the baker a quick glance, only to let out a sigh right after.

"Then who am I supposed put down then?" the sorceress answered, only for Ren and Miki to come over.

"People that know your work effort or you've worked with in the past." the bomber explained and pointed towards the references section of the sheets. "While Miki and I could give you one, it probably wouldn't be strong as one gotten from an actual employer."

What they're all saying Hinoka, is work on everything else first and then go talk to past employers. Maybe then you'll have what you are looking for. I think.

"It's close enough." Ai answered as Ren and Miki sat themselves down. "As long as you get your foot in the door, you should be able to get it."

Figuratively, not literally. Learned that lesson the hard way once. Definitely don't want to learn it again. At all.

"Yeah…" Cho answered, sitting herself down and gazing over the general area. When she had first met Ai, what did she see in her exactly? Was it potential to go far beyond what either had thought was possible for them to do? Did she see a future unlike anything she had seen before? Or perhaps she had seen love and didn't want to let go until she saw it out till the end. Or were those remnants of her past life, refusing to go away.

Whatever the case, she inched herself closer to the trapper.

"What is it?" Ai whispered and let her attention focus solely on Cho.

"I just wanted to be right beside you, Sugar~" Cho answered, watching her wife's eyes sparkle. "What is it now, 14 years?"

"15."

That can't be ri- Oh wait. All the times shifts have messed up the continuity. For all we know, that's just a lowball answer.

"I guess I need to do something special for that." the baker continued. "But what exactly?"

A good question indeed. You could renew your vows.  
"I'm fairly certain that's what we're doing at every wedding post the first one."

Make her favorite dessert?  
"I do that regularly."

Hmm… What else could you do for her. Outside of giving her a bre-

Before either narrator had a chance to suggest anything more. A loud bang erupted outside. Which couldn't mean anything good. At all.

"Crud." Rose muttered and pulled her string out. Her teammates did the same, inching their way towards the cafe's front door. "I guess we pissed someone off?"

Maybe? At this point, we're just along for the ride and trying to make as much sense as we can. Which is easier said than done with you guys. No offense, I hope.

"None taken." Miki answered as Ai pushed the door open.

Outside, the whole place around the cafe looked like a battlefield. Debris from nearby building was everywhere, with the whole town looking like it was straight-out of the apocalypse. The sky had turned red and demonic symbols were floating in the sky. Yet, people still went about their day. I guess this is typical for the people of Japan? I sure hope not.

And at the center of it all, was Agni. Except now, he was dressed in what looked to be a red cloak with more of those demonic symbols. I guess that was what he was doing in the end shot a couple chapters ago. Good to know.

"There you are." he announced and pumped his chest out. "This is the end of the line for all of you. When I'm done, there will be no more of this place."

Wonderful. He's gone off the deep end. Though, he was the boss at one point, so I guess this was expected to happen or something?

"Uh… sorry about what happened to Morva." Ai explained and watched her opponent's gaze shift over to her.

"You just couldn't be a good little slut and just die a meaningless death, could you?" Agni screeched as his gaze focused on Cho. "You just had to take her as well. Now look at what you made me do!"

Our heroes scanned the general area once more. It looked the same as before, not going to lie. Are we somehow missing something important here? If we are, could you maybe tell us about it?

Agni stamped his foot. It was unintentional, but noticeable.

"Just… just… Shut up!" he screamed and threw his hands up into the air. I don't like where this going. At all. "Phelesmon, Dagomon, lend me your strength and grant my wish!"

A beam of energy shot forth, cocooning their vessel as the audience watched on. When the smoke did finally clear, Agni no longer stood there. In his place, now stood a four-armed woman dressed in gray.

"I am Svaha," the woman starts and focused in on Airu and Cho. "And I have been reborn into another life! Prepare to die!"

* * *

Notes:

In Indian Mythology, Svaha is Agni's wife. So in a way, Agni got what he wanted. Just not in the way he was expecting it to happen.

.

On our next date: Let's dance.


	91. Dances with Demons

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Questions.

At many times throughout this mess of a fic, we (and by 'we', I mean my wife Chaos and I) have been left with many questions. Some of them were addressed. Others, not so much.

In this particular case, I feel that it is the latter. We would've preferred the former in this case. But you know, beggars can't be choosers. Especially with the state we find things are at the moment.

At the moment, our heroes were standing in the middle of the latest in a series of threats, digital or otherwise. In this case, the result of an idiot attempting to cheat out a pair of demon digimon in the hopes of getting what he wanted without any of the repercussions. As it turns out, demons (whether they be of the digital variety or not) don't like being cheated. At all. This is simple common sense advice, so you better take it. I hope.

"Are you two good now?" Ai inquired, bear trap in hand. While neither had made a move quite yet, I don't think we'll have to wait much longer. That or they were waiting for us to quit yapping and focus in on them. Either answer could work here. "You didn't answer the question."

Yeah, we're better now. We just had to let that rant before something even stupider happened. Which knowing you people, would probably occur quite quickly and force us to focus on other things. This way, we're able to get our two cents in before that happens.

Ai gave a nod and made her gauntlet visible. It was kind of odd to see it not on flesh, but rather pink plastic fur. Bear trap now in hand, she pulled her hand back and gazed around the general area.

"Here goes nothing."

The bear trap flew through the air, eventually landing in an area where it would be a challenge to see, let alone find. Not that I think that our heroes are going to have that much trouble with that particular front. What is more concerning is the lack of any proper demons and/or demon digimon. While sure, the last invasion to occur had like maybe seven big ones, there must be more to be found. This can't be it, right?

"Yeah!" Svaha announced, holding a set of hands up. "Come forth, my armies!"

Portals then appeared in the sky, depositing a mix of succubi, lady devils and maybe a Lilithmon to start things off. Hopefully, this isn't all of them.

For these continued remarks, Sachiko shot her wife a look. Mostly because it was probably not best to be playing with this kind of fire.

"Much better."

The woman then turned her attention to her troops and raised her hand up once more. Which was where all their eyes seem to be focusing on at the moment. You would think that this is the perfect moment for a counterattack. But it would seem that our heroes had decided that it wasn't for whatever reason. This isn't the time to be watching for the next move. This is a time to act!

But our narrator's words were falling on deaf ears. Or were they? For all either of us know, they could be doing something offscreen.

"Attack!"

Either the troops somehow misinterpreted her command or just didn't care, since some of them made an attempt to jump onto their master. It was mostly the succubi. There dresses looked like something like out of the sixties, rather than what I think is the 21st century. Don't vouch for me on that.

"Mistress!"

One of the succubi grabbed hold of one of Svaha's arms, gradually climbing their way to a place where they could give their general a hug. You do realize that this isn't the sort of image you want to be giving off? I don't think so. "Could I get two hugs instead of the usual one?"

Svaha looked away, granting this one's wish.

"Just this once." the final boss muttered as she let go of her soldier. That succubi hopped on down, only for another to take over for her. I guess succubi from this plane of hell can be quelled with simple acts of affection. Who would have thought that?

"My turn!"

Another succubi jumps on as the sole lilithmon finally reaches her companions. Well, I think that's a Lilithmon.

"Give it a try, big sis!"

The lilithmon shot one of the succubi a look and sighed. What followed, was an attempt at a bear hug. It was quite something to behold, a scary kind of cute on display here. Not that they would be getting any feedback from the ones they were supposed to be fighting in that moment.

"I could use a girl like you. If you get what I'm saying~"

"Uh... " Ai started as she watched Svaha just shake the demons away, only for the male counterparts to come on through. They seem ready to fight, hopefully. "Please tell me that's not your only trick."

That got her a look from the opponent. Who I'm probably certain is more confused by the whole nekoroid thing.

"Of course not." Svaha answered, cracking a smile as she charged forward. Only to run right into Ai's beartrap. Which now had some of Ren's explosives added to boot. Of course, that still left plenty of opportunities for the other demons to attack. That big horde coming your way, especially.

**Gun Art: Big Bang!**

A large shot rang off, as what appeared to be a cannonball of all things tore through a good chunk of the horde. Though, I don't think shooting that large of a projectile is good for the gun.

The shooter then ran over to our heroes, revealing themselves as a young boy with Uncle Sam of all people. Good to see there still around and kicking.

"I hope we're not too late." A voice added, only to be followed up by something forming around the person.

"Uh… Not at all." Cho answered as their gazes shifted to the sky, finding some guy and an ice serpent right above them. Though at the moment, they were surrounded in a ball of ice with the forces of gravity. That somehow didn't cause the ball to break and shatter when it touch solid ground. There's probably some mystical reason for this, but I doubt you the viewer care enough to hear it right now. Maybe later.

Whatever the case, this was then followed by a girl with a bird zipping on over. Whether or not they actually hit something remains to be seen. Especially as some woman ran around and chanted stuff.

"Master, let me bring forth my full potential!" the woman announced, energy seeming to surge around her. Not exactly sure from where or what exactly. Maybe herself? I guess that could be the case, though it's just as likely to come from some entity not quite found here at the moment. Or a bit of both.

What follows is a massive laser.

Though, there's also something burning for some reason. Which brought with it a guy cooking a full-on meal for some reason. Why? This isn't a kitchen! It's a battlefield.

Said guy charged towards a group of demons with the completed dish, all while Cho was going up to a group with her halberd. A swing later, this group was vanquished. But not before a couple of them decided that they were better off getting jobs outside of here. But that's judging by the group of succubi booking it right out of here. They even had their big sis Lilithmon with them. Who was in the process of turning into a succubi herself. Except she was bigger than them. Huh...

"Taste this!"

**Culinary: Flambe!**

Blue flames shot forth from the guy's pan, bringing with it a mix of burnt demon and an alcoholic smell. Not that it really seemed to bother our three heroes at the moment or even the fleeing demons. I think you should just let them be.

"It tastes nasty by the way." Savha announced as what looked to be a discus headed her way, landing a direct hit on her.

"Yip!"

"Of course, Hailey." a voice announced, with Titania and Hailey making their entrance. Though, that doesn't explain where the rest of their teammates even are. Possibly clearing up whatever remains of Evergreen. Or was it dine and dashing? It's one of the two.

"No comment."

Fine. I was hoping for more concrete proof of things going on. That'll do for the moment. Especially if they are helping.

'Yip?"

I don't like that answer. Especially since it's just you two that showed up. Please tell that they didn't bail.

But neither narrator got an answer. Instead, it would be our main heroes that would make an attempt at landing a blow in the hopes of ending this battle.

**Huǒ (Fire)!**

A ball of flames formed in Cho's hands, which the baker shot forth. Somehow, the spell managed to pierce through a couple demons and land in the general area of the boss. Which still resulted in some damage occurring. Along with the added benefit of providing cover for Miki. Which the swordswoman took with open arms and blades being pulled back.

**Slice!**

"Take this!" she screamed as she charged forward, letting her blades swing about into whatever demon was dumb enough to get in the way. Though, she wasn't doing it alone. Just barely, one could make out a bunch of creatures attack. That are not totally reskinned pokemon. I'm not sure where you would get that idea. At all.

Thankfully, they brought all of their firepower to boot. Giant lasers, massive swords, black holes. And that's just to name a few of the things that they were using. And I'm fairly certain that they haven't even brought out the heavy hitters. Daisy, you better be there! If you're not, I'll come down there and drag you out from whatever hole you're hiding in.

For that particular remark, Sachiko shot Chaos a glance. While the name was familiar enough, it wasn't quite the white mage's job to make sure that a particular person was there or not. That was the job of the person itself along with whoever was living with them at the time.

Though, that doesn't quite explain the thunderbolt coming down from the sky. I guess they wanted to tell that they made it? I guess that's nice of them.

"You fools!" Svaha announced as she charged through her own army, just to take a swing at Ai and Cho. Who as a whole, hadn't really done really anything to her. If anything, this is her own fault. She was the one who made the wish, now it was her time to face the consequences of said choice. "Just… Just… Shut up!"

She swung a hand back, not quite connecting with her target. Which in turn, was answered with a series of punches and a swing or two of the halberd.

"In all seriousness, why are you doing this?" Ai whispered, letting her full attention on the demon goddess thing. But all the trapper got was some chuckling. It wasn't even a good, evil chuckle. This was more of the pitiful sort.

"Because you took her away from me." Svaha answered as she made another attempt at swinging at the trapper. Like the last time, this was not successful. At least with the first attempt, Svaha had the element of surprise (kinda). Here, she was just pissed and was trying to take her anger out on someone who probably didn't deserve it. "If you weren't there, she would have still been Morva. Things could be the way that they should be, not what they are now!"

Her gaze shifted to Cho. Just barely, the baker could make out some tears coming down her face. It would be far more fitting if she was a crocodile than a demon.

"Now she isn't, you fucking scum!" Svaha continued."I hope you die in hell for all the sins you have com-"

Ai didn't let her finish that sentence, giving Svaha a punch to the stomach. Which coming from the nekoroid, was quite impressive.

"Things change." Ai answered and took a deep breath. She let her focus turn to her wife, who gave a nod. "They can throw you for a complete loop, turn what you thought you knew on its head. But at the same time, it brings with it new opportunities and chances for things you never would have thought were even possible in the first place. You can try to fight against it, but it will eventually get you. Only by choosing to embrace it, can you truly live your life."

She took a deep breath as Cho offered her the halberd once more. But instead of taking it up by herself, she chose to share it with the baker.

"You ready for this, Sugar?" Cho asked as her wife nodded, which came right as Rose and Ren walked up. So they grabbed hold as well. "Pull with all your might."

What followed, was one more swing with the strength of our four heroes. Svaha stumbled backwards for a couple of steps, falling over and just exploded into digital data. There was no sign of a digi-egg. Which might be for the better.

_Hunt complete!_

"How do you feel?" Ai whispered and watched Cho take a deep breath.

"I've been better, Ai." Cho answered, getting a look from her wife. While she had realized her mistake, she took it in style. We think, at least. Everything about the last couple days had been a complete mess. At the same time, it had felt as if a weight had been lifted off of her. Kind of felt good to the baker. "But as long as I'm with you, Sugar, things will be alright."

Ai cracked a smile.

"Of course."

Any celebrating was sadly short-lived however, with the area around our heroes began to twist about as blackness took hold once more.

* * *

Notes:

We're nearing the end of this fic. Don't worry though. There's still quite a bit to get through in the next three chapters or so.

.

On our next date: All aboard! We do hope you make it safely to your destination.


	92. Choo Choo

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Ren's eyes shot open.

Gone was the outside of the Plush Cafe, with the interior of what appeared to be a train of all things taking the place of it. Which by digitalverse standards, is actually normal. Somehow.

As for the train itself, that had gone for a bit of a rustic sort of feel. By that, we mean they had wood floors and walls that looked like very rough sheet metal for some reason. An interesting choice, especially with all the funny phrases written on there. Not that we will read any of them. I don't think these are the kind meant to be. Like seriously, who writes 'gooby goody assody' on the wall of a train? That's complete and utter gibberish if we've ever seen it.

At the moment, the trio were seated in a booth of red fabric. Or would have been, if not for the fact that they had been jolted out sometime earlier and now laying on the floor. Though, I doubt the seats were anything to write home about. If this were a first-class rail car, then maybe. We highly doubt that.

"You girls alright?" the bomber whispered and carefully pulled himself up. After making a quick glance to his companions, Ren got to work making sure his outfit was all there. He started by looking down and feeling the upper chest area. While he forgotten to remove the false breasts last night, he had gotten around to it before they had walked from their hotel room to the cafe. It felt flat, meaning nothing had happened to him.

Then it was to the waist to see if a certain body part was there. So he just placed a hand there and pushed down. It was, thankfully. That just left him putting a hand on his head, where his blonde wig comfortably sat with tiara. Overall, looking quite nice. "Good. It's all here."

It would've sucked if it hadn't, right? Though, we really should call you a princess rather than a bomber. Or perhaps a princess bomber, then you could have all your favorite things about dresses and being girly mixed into your love of throwing explosives devices all over the place. It's the best of both worlds, right?

Ren's face blushed pink. Not that one could blame for feeling that way. Blossom was still quite out of his reach and he had no clue how to get to him at the moment.

"Of course, mistress." Sella answered, watching Ren feel up his body. "Everything still there?"

A nod, followed by Miki handing him his purse. Overall, it was a nice blue one that matched the rest of his outfit. Could use a touch of pink.

Ren shot the sky a glance over what it was kind of a joke. Keep being you and stuff.

"Thank you, Miki." Ren answered as the trio's attention turning to the far end of the train car. A ringing phone awaited them on a nice wooden stool table thing. It was the sort that looked like you had to twist the knob in order to dial. And they're very finicky too. If you're just off while dialing, it won't work. Kind of annoying in that aspect.

So they made their way over, taking the time to check for any traps. There weren't, as far we can tell. Not that this stopped them from double checking while the phone continued to ring off the hook. We almost feel sorry for whoever is on the other end. Especially since there most likely using a similar to the one we see here.

Eventually, Ren picked the phone up and held it to his ear. While he wasn't certain what to expect, it had to be something major. After all, why else would someone had gone through the trouble of grabbing the trio and putting them in a train car to take them… somewhere. Were not entirely sure on all of this, quite yet.

"I'm fairly certain I was waiting back at the hotel." Sella muttered and attempted to concentrate, hoping that was enough to turn back. Sadly, it wasn't. But she did get some weird daydreams of getting some horses for her 'princess'.

Back with Ren, he had been faced with silence. I guess there wasn't a budget for shitty on-hold music or even elevator music. Come on!

"Hello?" he finally whispered.

Just barely, he could hear what sounded like wheels rolling across a rail.

"Good afternoon, Princess Rie." the voice on the other end greeted.

"Rie?" Ren answered and took a deep breath. While he kind of liked the name, it felt almost out of blue. Like someone had chosen it at random. Wouldn't surprise us.

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

I feel like this is a matter of whether or not you're a new character or not. The name just cements it. Not that such a feat was really to achieve with what was started with in the first place.

"Okay." the bomber answered. "You may call me Rie."

More vehicle sounds.

"Wonderful." the voice answered. "Now, onto the task at hand. As you can probably see, you're on a train. There is a man at the end of the train. Save him."

Rie stared down at the phone. Carefully, he pulled it away from his ear and held out the phone for his companions to hear.

"That's it? Just save this guy and we'll be good?"

A bit of chuckling, followed by a cough.

"Something like that."

The phone went silent with our mystery caller cutting themself off. So the bomber put it down on the receiver and let his attention be on that of his teammates. Rather than the obviously placed door.

"Well that was interesting." he muttered, taking a deep breath right after. "You ready to go?"

Miki gave a nod as Sella looked around for something to use. Eventually, she just grabs what looks to be a makeshift whip. Why there was something like that here is beyond us. But it should act like your tongue. Kinda.

"It'll work." Sella whispered as she slipped the weapon onto her kimono, picking Rie up right after. "Care for a ride?"

Rie gave a nod as they headed for the door. He leaned forward and grabbed hold. A slight twist followed and the door opened up.

Outside, the trio found themselves staring down towards the abyss below. Just barely, one could make out a duck boat that hadn't been used in some time. Possibly one of many that people could use on a lake or to view memories that they may have made. It kind of hard to really know at this point.

"Is this another one of those things that's somehow the result of time shifts?" Rie called out as Sella made the jump across to the next train car. Once there, he gave a nod to Miki. She complied and did a running start for some reason.

To answer your question, yes. But that's mostly because Ai and Cho had a couple occur to them in the past for some reason. But nothing on the level of the trapper going from being a human to that of a robot cat thing. That seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Yeah, I'll have to agree with you there." Miki added as they examined the door. Which served as the perfect opportunity for Rie to dismount. "Do you what exactly caused that?"

Our best guess, is that Ai's love for Nekoroids and her desire to possibly be one resulted in a timeline where that was possible. Though, a part of that is the dream she shared with Cho.

Even though the cause itself had been them killing Morva for the second time. It's a longshot, but it's the best we got at the moment. That or Morva is a complete and utter dick who wants to be a complete and utter enigma to us all.

"Huh."

With that, it was finally time open the door and see what they were facing down next in this train gauntlet.

Inside, the trio found themselves being stared down by a group of strange passengers and being assaulted with camera flashes. All the people seemed to be dressed quite casually, with not a single sign of a suit or fancy dress.

"Uh… hi?" Rie inquired, only to get another round of camera flashes."Could you stop with the camera flashes? Were trying to get through."

But the passengers didn't seem like they were in a listening sort of mood. No, they just decided they were going to continue taking pictures. Because when someone asks you a question, that's the proper thing to do in this situation. Anything else would just be silly.

So Rie dug into his dress and pulled out a present, throwing it into the crowd. As it would turn out, that was a flash bang. Why was it even wrapped up as a present in the first place? That's just inefficient.

"Uh…" Miki remarked and looked to her master's chest. I guess there's a bag of holding in there?

Though, someone had taken the time to wrap it up in place with some wrapping paper. Of course, such artistry would be unlikely to be appreciated by these people. But that was not something to be cared about. Especially as the flash erupted within the train car. Still, this was just enough to stop the flash of the cameras for a moments. But not enough to actually stop the people from taking pointless photos. Maybe there somehow you super duper secret fan club and this is all the members? Or it could be a fan club for an imposter princess bomber. You never thought about that, did you? So-

Before Sachiko had a chance to really continue on about fan clubs and whatever else that she wanted to talk about, her wife gave her a kiss on the lips. Which on top of breaking the geomancer's chain of thought, it had been awhile since they had such an embrace. I guess they can get in on the fun for once.

Once those two were done, the focus returned to the trio.

"Coming through." Rie announced and carefully placed a hand near any passing lenses. Miki and Sella did something similar. That still didn't stop the photos from coming. Mostly. Some of the people did get the message. The rest got to taste Sella's new whip. Okay maybe a bit too much. Leave some for Rie at least. "I'll be alright."

Scratch the last part then. After, the trio made their way over to the door. But not before shooting the crowd of paparazzi one last glance. Just for good measure.

"Good riddance." Miki whispered as she pulled the door open. "I'm still not certain what that was all about."

They probably thought you three were some celebrities and just followed their friends lead. Or they wanted to sell your likeness on the internet. Why a cat of all people would want such a pleasure is beyond.

"What is this about a cat?" Miki continued, with silence serving as her answer from our two narrators. While this particular thing was unverified by anyone, there was still a chance that it had gone unchanged.

They headed on through, finding themselves staring down the entrance to the next train car. If you looked to the right, you could make out the sunset. It was quite a beautiful one with all sorts of shades of reds, oranges, yellows and purples. Though, you couldn't really see the sun that well. Or where it was actually going to set.

"It's pretty, your majesty." Sella remarked as Rie made the jump across. Miki followed right after, with the former chameleon taking up the rear. "Kind of a shame we can't take the time to appreciate it."

Rie took a deep breath and let her gaze fixate on the setting sun. While pretty, it was as if something was missing from this equation. A part thought found, but was still lost from your body. Or perhaps, a person. Blossom.

"I'm coming for you." he whispered and watched as Sella opened up the door. Inside, the room looked empty in the way of people. That didn't explain why it was filled to the brim with all sorts of scrumptious food that was probably, most definitely, a trap. If it weren't, why aren't all the wannabe photographers having a full-on binge on all this? Instead of taking random photos of some person that they probably don't have a clue who they were or why they were even there in the first place. Let alone why they themselves were there in the first place. But I digress.

"Boo." the food announced, not at all happy that they had been discovered. "Now, we shall feast on their blood."

Somehow, this is not the first time that this happened. Though, the last case had the food in a titan-like form and somehow a demon lord. This is just a copycat of that. Which I guess would make the previous room vanity and this gluttony? Or would this be Envy then?

But no answer comes to this confusing and possibly unimportant question. What did matter in that moment was the beating of the food and maybe eating it. What? Heroes get hungry too.

"Eat this." Rie announced as he chucked out a grenade out. These weren't wrapped up like presents. Their opponent just stared towards the explosives and gobbled them up. As it would turn out, that didn't stop the incoming explosion from tearing them apart. Those who remained were dispatched with a mix of sword strikes and whip swings from his companions. Not that any of the food could be salvaged for eating.  
"Boo." Miki whispered as the trio made their way down the train car, making quite time to the door. A quick twist of the knob later and they were back outside. There still looks to be quite a bit of train to cover.

One has to wonder where this 'person' they were supposed to be saving even was. There wasn't much of a sign of them, let alone anything tangible to clue the trio in on what they looked like.

Yet, they took the time to cross over and pulled the next door open… Only for the walls of the train car to blow up in front of them. I guess it didn't want anything to do with you guys for some reason? Then why have that particular car in the first place?

"Uh…" Rie started and took a deep breath, making sure to take each step quite carefully. That way, he wouldn't lose anything if a freak burst of wind passed through the now topless car. Points for being prepared, I guess? It's one of those very specific things that isn't easy to really categorize. "It's alright."

His companions followed right behind, taking just as much care and attention as their 'mistress' did on their walk.

Thankfully, the sunset was still quite pretty to take in and behold. Even if it had now mostly turned to just the night sky by this point. The stars are really pretty tonight too. Not that our heroes could really focus on them at the moment.

Yet, they jumped from this destroyed car on over to the next one. Then they just smashed the door open. After what had happened with the car they had just left, that was probably a good idea.

It was an unneeded precaution, since this room was made entirely of mirrors. And not regular mirrors, mind you. It was those weird carnival mirrors that made it look like someone else was behind you when there really wasn't. Stuff like that. It was probably terrifying, if you were like maybe five or something. Oh, and there's the kind that do all sorts of weird stuff to your body in the hopes of getting your goat. Because it wouldn't be one of those kinds of places with it. Not that our trio was really affected by it.

"Look at me." Rie joked, standing in front of one that made his proportions look like that of a girl. Even then, that wasn't hard to do with the right combination of accessories and stuff. But I think that sort of jump is not needed. As princesses go, you're number one. "I wouldn't quite go that far, but thanks."

A smile formed on his face. A part of him wondered what Blossom would've thought of this. Probably would used it as an opportunity for a kiss or something. That sounded nice, maybe once they got back to Gorgon Castle or something.

"I guess we can pretend to be scared, your majesty." Sella suggested, only for Rie to shake his head. "Fair enough."

They gave the mirrors no more attention and headed for the door. A twist of the knob later… nothing.

"Crud." Miki muttered as the trio turned their focus back to the mirrors. While there was probably a keep or something hidden somewhere in here, that wasn't the solution they went with. No, they just ripped off one of the mirrors and flung it towards their obstacle. This was somehow the answer to this puzzle. Instead of I don't know, just slicing the door down. "Oh right."

Hindsight is 20/20 when it come to this stuff. Don't sweat it.

The swordswoman nodded and jumped over. Rie and Sella followed right behind. The opening of a door followed and the trio found themselves staring down a solid gold interior. Even the door had the time taken in too be plated in what might be solid gold. Or perhaps it was gold leaf. The furniture was the same, though it looked eager to jump up and down at the sight of visitors. Not that our trio was willing to take their chances, booking it to the door and slashed the door. No luck.

So they tried to open the door the normal way. That didn't work either.

"Come on!" Ren screeched as Sella got her whip back out.

"Die!" the objects announced and rushed head-on towards the trio. It didn't work out for these animated objects, especially after getting sliced into a gazillion pieces by a mix of whip swings and explosions. Like the food, there wasn't anything left.

"Well I guess that worked." Rie whispered as they headed on, possibly ready to get to whoever they were supposed to be saving in the first place. Which I don't blame them. Especially since this train seems insistent on sticking to the theme of the seven deadly sins. Now can we just get Sloth over with. Or is not here yet? It better be!

Chaos gave her wife a slight pat, following it up by reminding her her to stay calm on these situations. Even if their creator wasn't the greatest at that.

"Uh, good to know." Rie continued as the 'sloth' train car finally appeared and just teleported them to the next train car. "Uh… thanks?"

"Of course." the train car answered… for some reason. At least this 'Sloth' was nice. Better than the last sloth someone had to face down. "Do watch out for the guy in the next car."

"We will!" Miki added as she pulled the door open, only to have a wrench just pass right by her. It's thrower gave them a look, only to run out of the car right after. "Uh… Okay?"

They made their way through, finding themselves not at the engine of the train, but at the window of Gorgon Castle. Of course, that meant the return of the snake skin and stuff. If you had planned ahead, you could've brought Bloom. I guess you'll have to pick them up another day.

All we got in return was a mutter from the bomber. Oh, and someone shifting about in the shadows.

"Wonderful." Rie whispered, only for a certain someone to come up and meet his lips. "Figures. You're always there when I need a pick-me-up."

Blossom just smiled and the two embraced. The armor dress from before was still firmly on his body, but it had gone through some changes. Lighter now, it resembled more of a wrap dress in nature. The metal parts had been done away with a very subtle snakeskin pattern upon it. Towards the bottom end, what looks to be a 'snake rattle' can be made out. That doesn't explain the explain the change in lip color. It's quite minor, but the normally pink lips have a bit of a gray tone to them. Or the cocoon of light that now engulfed Rie. Well, it had for a second, giving the bomber a mermaid dress. Kind of like the one he wore in the water. Unlike that one, this had the snakeskin pattern and rattle thing. Though, the fangs were gone. Which is always a plus.

"Of course, your highness." Blossom remarked with a cheer as he dug into his own dress. "I just have one question."

Rie's gaze grew closer to his boyfriend.

"Yes?" he whispered as their lips broke away, having gotten all the energy

Eventually, a ring box did come out.

"Will you marry me?"

There was just one answer to that question. While not as frequent of dates as our other two, I think they'll make a wonderful couple.

"Yes." Rie answered and embraced Blossom once more. After, he threw an explosive behind him, letting it explode on the train itself. Which I guess was a Locomon or something? It doesn't really explain it, but oh well.

Whatever the case, the train shattered into digital data and prevented them from leaving. Kind of makes that warning you guys got kind of meaningless in the long run.

**Hunt Complete! Rie is Winner! Winner 1 of 3!**

"I guess this is goodbye then?" Rie whispered and looked up towards the ceiling.

Yep. It was fun commentating for you. Thanks for playing and all that stuff. We hope you have fun ruling your kingdom and stuff with your future husband/wife whatever Blossom supposed to be.

"I will." Rie answered as the four gave a wave goodbye, the broken window repairing itself right after.

Once they were certain we were gone, they headed off to explore their kingdom...

.

Back with our narrators, things were going pretty good.

Sure, they were reaching the wrapping up point of the story. But there was still one or two things left about.

Things such as the dark blades and their plantation now taking the place of a park. Why a park, neither was entirely certain.

'One down.' Chaos signed, watching her wife's attention turn to the nearby window. 'Something wrong?'

Sachiko pointed to the storefront across from them, where an angel and succubus duo were loading boxes into what looked to be a store of some sort. Though, whatever vehicle had been carrying the stuff was long gone now. Hopefully not with anything they forgot on the journey down.

"They're probably another flower shop." Sachiko muttered as she turned to face her wife. "They're going to dri-"

Before she has a chance to finish that sentence, Chaos comes over and places a hand on the geomancer's back.

'It'll be alright.' the white mage signed, cracking a smile right as Sachiko turned around. "Whether they're rival shopkeepers or not, we haven't properly met them yet. Give them a chance."

Sachiko let out a sigh and gave the window one more look. Had she been paying a bit more attention, she might have noticed the paper in her wife's hands. But that can wait for the moment.

"Fair enough." she whispered as both women's attention returned to their narrating duties. "Back to work, then."

* * *

Notes:

Ones of the ideas not used for the fic was that of a mystery murder train ride. As for why I didn't do that. Time crunch towards the end. I was just trying to get the rough draft finished before the fic even was going to be posted for All-Star. Somehow did it. Never again.

As for the whole gorgon thing, I couldn't really come up with anything. That was simplest solution before the pair tied the knot.

.

On our next date: School's in Session. Hopefully.


	93. Play time at School

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Rose wasn't entirely certain what to make of this situation right now.

While the noble had felt like she had gotten a full night's worth of sleep in what had seemed like forever, something felt different here. Maybe it was the result of a time shift or perhaps, sleeping on a different part of the bed then usual. Whatever case, she would just have to be ready for whatever surprise awaited her today.

"Morning, Hinoka." Rose whispered, giving the person beside her a slight shake. But instead of getting the teenage girl that the noble had been expecting to find, a woman in her twenties was what she got instead. She was still dressed in the same silk nightgown that the sorceress would always wear to bed. Except it was now quite a bit longer.

Thankfully, it did little to hide the brunette hair ready to be tied up into a bun.

"Good morning, Miss Rose." 'Hinoka' greeted, only for her gaze to focus in on the noble. "You've grown. I guess I need to adjust all your outfits so they fit."

Rose looked down at her own body, only to do a double take. While she wasn't entirely sure when the last time she had been measured, but she was fairly certain that it was sometime during her employment with the Queen of Dolls. So in other words, it was quite a while ago. But now, the noble stood just under a foot of her servant. Which Rose could get used to if given enough time.

"Yeah." she whispered, carefully rolling out of the bed and making her way over to the couple's wardrobe.

Judging by the room itself, they were definitely not in the Suzaki's house. If anything, this was their own apartment. How the duo managed to make enough money to afford such a thing is beyond us. Overall, their dresser looked to be just a white box with metal knobs. Was kind of expecting something more.

All the dresses and other costumes were still there and all sized up, but something told the noble that wasn't what they were going to wear for most of the day. Though, she did see a pair of familiar spacesuits. Maybe if she played her cards right, they could shoot off from this rock for a bit and just pretend to be space explorers.

"Remember. Today we have conferences with the parents, so I need you to dress business casual, Miss Rose."

She gave a nod, not at all happy that she couldn't dress as her regal self. These were kindergarteners that they were teaching of all things. Let her and Hinoka have just a little fun. It also put space explorers back in jeopardy.

"If you're good, we can have some fun."

That seemed to put the noble in a better mood. Especially if it meant what she had thought. A quick glance back to the outfits later, she got herself dressed in a green pinafore dress. Hinoka on the other hand, went for a white blouse with a black pencil skirt.

"Heels?"

"Of course." Hinoka whispered back and Rose handed a pair of black high heels. They were actually quite plain. A far cry from the sorceress's usual outfits. "Here's your shoes. I know you would prefer heels as well, but this provides a nice contrast."

In return, Rose got a pair of ballet flats.

"It's going to be strange not being carried by you." Rose remarked and got a chuckle in return. "Let me guess, you have a spell for that?"

Hinoka nodded.

"Would you expect anything else from me, my sweet Miss Rose."

Rose's face blushed a bright shade of light pink. Which wasn't helped by the now handing over of an emerald ring with a magenta band. Just barely, she could make out a similar ring on her wife's hand. Quite a pretty ring. Probably not that cheap either. Unless you got it out of one of those capsule machines. Then shame on you.

That remark fell on deaf ears.

"Why thank you." she whispered, letting her attention return to the wardrobe. While it took a bit of searching, she came upon what she was after. A pair of wedding dresses, one slightly smaller than the other.

Her instigating had not gone unnoticed by her

"Feeling nostalgic, Miss Rose?" Hinoka inquired, getting a head shake in return. "You wanted to know, didn't you?"

She let her gaze return to her wife.

"Yeah." the noble answered and took a deep breath. Sometimes, she wished life wasn't so keen on throwing curveballs like this. But then she remembered the person she was when she started this - a faceless 'chatbot'. Now, she had friends, hobbies, a job and most of all… a family. Sure, Hinoka wouldn't probably be her first choice if given the choice nor was their child of biological means, but it didn't matter. She cared about her wife and her daughter. And they cared about her.

Though, it was followed by the sound of someone running up to their door cut off Rose's inner monologue. Which might be a good thing on our side. It was good self talk. But a little bit on the preachy side of things.

"Momma! Mommy!" a young girl called out, possibly ready to see her parents. Whether or not she actually slept to the agreed upon time is a question that I doubt will get a straight answer to. Oh well.

"You can come in, Mai."

Mai made her entrance, dressed in what looked to be a magenta shirt with blue skirt and matching set of shoes. Though, that didn't explain why she bringing what looked to be a fairy doll with her. Or would've been a doll, if it hadn't moved.

"I even brought Tricera with me! Say hi, Tricera!" Mai announced, shaking the very much alive fairy around. I do hope she'll be able to handle the abuse of little children. "Can I take her with me to school, Momma?"

Hinoka took a deep breath and carefully knelt down.

"You going to be alright?" she whispered, watching the fairy's attention shift to her. "Your Tricera, right?"

The fairy gives a nod.

"You good spending the day with her?"

A second nod. After, Hinoka turned her attention to her daughter.

"Yes," she answered. "But you need to bring her back."

"I will momma!" Mai answered and ran over to Rose. "Can we have pancakes for breakfast?"

"Maybe tomorrow, since it'll be the weekend then, sugarplum." Rose explained as they made their way out of the bedroom. Then it was just a short way down the hall and towards the kitchen. There, three of the four would sit down while the fourth would make up breakfast. In that case, this particular fourth was Rose in this case. I guess she was taking notes from Cho and Delia this entire time. Or independence forced her to learn how to catch. "No comment."

Boo. We're allowed to speculate all we want. Especially in regards to this. We could say whatever we want and the viewer is inclined to believe it.

"It's still no comment." Hinoka added as a plate of eggs was placed on the table. "You could focus on other things. Like how are we and that stuff."

So, how are you guys doing?

"Great!" Mai answered, perking up as she got her eggs. "I get school and ballet today!"

That sounds nice. What's your favorite subject?

"Subject?"

Mai stared off into space, giving Tricera enough time to snatch some egg off of the wannabe ballerina's plate.

"Mommy, what's a subject?" Mai inquired as Rose turned around, plating her eggs. The noble made her way over and set the plate down.

"Stuff like story time, ballet, gym, recess…" the noble counted off. Somewhere in that string, Mai had perked up. Though that didn't tell which one that applied too, exactly. "It's probably ballet."

Hearing that, Mai perked up once more. After, she proceeded to devour her eggs and deposit the plate in the dishwasher.

"Thank you, Mommy!" the young girl announced, making sure to grab Tricera as she went off to grab her backpack and ballet gear. Or in other words, her tutu, tights, leotard and ballet slippers. Maybe some ribbons. For those more advanced shows and stuff.

While she was doing that, Rose and Hinoka made their way over to the front door.

"Ready for another wonderful day of teaching?" Hinoka whispered, watching Rose give a nod in return. "Anything in particular you want me to make for dinner?"

That question didn't get her a immediate response. Instead, the noble took the time to think it over.

"Hamburgers sound wonderful." Rose finally answered, slinging her purse to her side. While green was one of her top colors, she would preferred a pink one. Sort of like Hinoka's.

"You ready to go, Mai?!"

Mai came running on over, her backpack bouncing up and down with each step.

"Let me tighten that for you." Hinoka explained and carefully adjusted the backpack straps. "Better?"

Mai gave a nod as Rose opened up the door. While their front lawn was kind of nonexistent, they did try to decorate. By decorate, I mean hang up one of those holiday flags with the cartoon characters. Usually something magical girl-themed. At the moment, it was Cure Whip with Pekorin. While animated, it had been taught to not attack random passerby and just people dumb enough to steal from them.

"Have a good day, you gals!" the flag announces, with our heroes giving a wave in return.

Outside, it was just a short walk from their house to the nearby subway. Which meant riding the train. Hopefully that whole thing with Locomon didn't freak people out about trains or the possibility of a snake kingdom in space of all places. Wait. How, the heck are you even supposed to get up there in the first place?

"What is this about locomon?" Rose inquired.

Uh… no comment. Some stuff happened last night, but it's been solved. Nothing to worry about. At all.

"Okay…"

Eventually, they reached the station. Which was a boring building. A far cry from the found in Odaiba. No rules, all the violence. Daily accidents involving people just getting pushed onto the tracks. Good times, good times.

That comment got Chaos a look from her wife. Even if that was somehow true, I highly doubt the japanese government would really allow it. Let alone when it come to the proximity to the kingdom of Uroboros.

Whatever the case, they made their way through the necessary lines and to the subway platform itself. Makes you hungry for a sandwich. Well, at least to us. But it wasn't all bad for the foursome.

"Hi Whip!" Mai announced as a young elvish girl approaches. For someone most likely heading for school, she's been all made up to be a princess. A pink dress with purple accents adorn her body, while a pair of mary janes click clack against the pavement. Mounds have been fitted to her shoulders, while opera gloves stretch down her arms and hands. Her blonde hair had been styled into large blonde curls, with a pair of pale blue eyes to boot. Finishing off her look. Was a backpack decorated with sequins and what appeared to be a purple wyvern following her.

"Good morning, Miss Clearwing." Rose greeted and watched the wyvern give a nod. "How are you doing today?"

The wyvern let out a chuckle and focused in on the pair.

"Quite well, if I'm being honest here." she answered and sat herself up, putting her around Rose and Hinoka's height. Which by wyvern standards, makes her actually quite short. "How about you two?"

While our totally unnamed wyvern here was talking with the pair, Whip and Mai had gotten to playing with their dolls. In Whip's case, that meant bringing out what looked to be a female halfling armed with a makeshift shotgun. Are we sure that's a good idea. They even look ready to break into a swear-filled rant. Wait… There's a reference here. But for the life of me, I can't figure out what it's supposed to be. Got any ideas, Sachiko?

No dice.

"It's a secret to everyone." Whip remarked, going with the time honored reference here. Well, I can't really call it a running gag. It would have to be more consistent pattern across multiple fics to be such a thing. "Mine is named Cherra by the way."

Mai nodded.

"This is Tricera." she explained and held the dino fairy thing out for the whole world to see. I guess these sort of things are just normal? That has to be it. "Say hi!"

Tricera gives a wave, only to find 'Cherra' shoved even closer to her.

"Hi?" the dino fairie mumbles, getting cut off by the sound of a train coming around a bend.

While that was happening, we seem to have progress on the initial conversation. Okay, it hadn't been long. But you get the idea.

"Quite good." Hinoka remarked as they watched the train roll into the station. "Time to pick stuff, Mai."

Their daughter gave a nod as she slipped Tricera back into a pocket. Whip did something soimilar, with the two groups boarding right after.

Overall, the actual train wasn't that interesting. Especially when compared to the last one we were on. A lot more metal this time around, with kind of the same uncomfortable seats to boot. I wonder where they get them.

Rose and company weren't on for very long, getting off at the next station with Whip and their guardian. Then it's just a walk to the school. Anchaged Elementary School, to be exact. Interesting name for an elementary school.

"Yeah. We weren't sure what the people naming it were thinking there." Rose remarked as they reached the front gates of the school. "Mai, will see you later. Okay?"

Mai gave a nod and headed off to join her class. Of course, Tricera made sure to give a wave as well.

"Do have a good day as well." Miss Clearwing explained as she went in for the kiss on Whip's cheek. There's something else going on here that we aren't being clued into, aren't we?

But no answer comes to that question. Especially as the wyvern walks off. Back to our main duo then.

"Now, onto work." Hinoka remarked as they made their way inside, not even taking the time to let either narrator actually describe the hallway they found themselves in. No, they just made a mad dash to their classroom. Which when you consider that Hinoka is in heels at the moment, is actually quite impressive. "Why thank you."

They did eventually come to a stop. Right at their classroom. There, it was just a matter of unlocking the door and heading inside.

Compared to all the places we've been so far in this particular excursion, this place felt different. The walls were painted a nice shade of violet, going quite well with the darker hardwood floors. Art projects of varying sorts and qualities were scattered about as a toy chest awaited use by students. Especially those with the smart phones and tablets. Don't get me wrong. I'm totally for the use of technology in a learning environment, but it can't just be the sole source for kids to learn.

Maybe that was because it was a school that didn't have a fucked-up experiment or forced the people inside to kill each other.

"Do we even want to know?"

Going off my wife's babbing, I feel this likely falls into "it's complicated". Sorry about that. Even if it weren't, we wouldn't want to risk a kid hearing about it and asking all sorts of questions you don't have an answer to at the moment. Especially the more graphic parts.

"Fair enough."

After setting down their purses, the couple sat themselves down at their desk. That looks quite a bit nicer than the tables and chairs their students would be sitting at, kind of unfair. Okay, maybe not.

Both teachers let out a chuckle upon hearing that. Then it was time to plan out their day.

"We'll start together with circle time, then you'll go into math and art." Hinoka continued, getting a nod from Rose. "I'll switch out with you at lunch, then I'll take them to do gym, followed by free time/work time. Then we'll get them all ready for our conference, have that and then go home for some playtime."

That sounds exhausting and thankless. Thank you for doing it. And no, we're not being sarcastic here. That's our honest opinion for once.

"So a lot of stuff you said in the past wasn't?" Rose inquired, getting a head shake from offscreen. "So not as truthful then?"

Pretty much.

Grading came next. Hinoka was the one to look over the papers, while Rose put stickers on them. A big gold star if the paper was good or a thumbs-down if the assignment wasn't good enough. Which is kind of brutal by kindergarten standards. Not that we can really judge on that front.

"It works. Mostly." Hinoka remarked as she handed some more papers over.

Touch-up on cleaning from the previous day followed. While they did a bang-up job, there was still a couple areas that get missed. Which is good time to ask why the heck there's at least two toy rockets in the ceiling.

"They were thrown up there." Rose explained and gave the ceiling a quick glance. "Don't ask me how they did it."

Huh. I guess they had one quite impressive throwing arm. That, or they weren't quite human to begin with.

Thankfully, the children filed in not that long after.

"Welcome class." both Hinoka and Rose greeted, giving as much eye contact as they could to their pupils. "Are you ready to learn today?"

Of course, they were so knee-deep in their phones and tablets too actually notice they were in class and can stop whatever mobile game that's in at the moment. As you can tell, we're boring people and don't play those sorts of games. Outside of the fire emblem one for a time. It was alright.

"Why should we be?" one of the student finally announced, pulling out a weird-looking robot. Like something out of Battlebots or Robot Wars. "Today, we say no to learning for good!"

"No to learning!"

"No to learning!"

In a matter of seconds, nearly the entire class had gotten out their robot thing and place it on the floor. They would've been scary, if not for the fact that the robots were the height of most action figures. Nor were their attacks that scary either. If we had to guess how it felt to be hit,

"Time for circle time, children!" Rose announced and watched Hinoka help the kids get their backpacks off. After, it was just a matter of putting them into their cubbies and making sure all the kids and their robot things sat nicely. Once they were, the two teachers sat themselves down.

"So Junko, can you tell us about you like to do on the weekend?" Hinoka started, her voice taking on a high pitched tone. Possibly so she could be heard over all the robots and their whirring. If we had a mute button, we would use it.

"Kick your ass." the girl announced and puffed their chest out. I guess there living up to their name. Though this is probably unintentional.

"Despair, how about you?"

Her attention turned to a girl that looked like a strange cross between a succubus and a catgirl. Her skin was covered in a light layer of lavender fur. A pair of flower bat wings peeked out of her back, with cat ears right on the top of her head. No horns, though. Though, I don't think those are needed for a creature to be counted as such.

Of course, she was actually dressed in a sundress and shoes. A far cry from all the stuff this particular child's parents liked to wear. Which is probably for the better.

"Uh…" Despair whispered and handed Hinoka a piece of paper. Carefully, the sorceress opened it up and handed it over to her wife to see.

_Miss Ann,_

_After Mai gets back from Ballet, can I come over and play? Both of my mommies said they would be fine with it._

_-Despair_

Rose took a deep breath and pulling out her own slip of paper. There, she wrote down a quick response and handed it over to what was likely her niece. Yeah, she's her niece. For better or worse.

"Thank you." Despair mumbled, flashing a thumbs up as Hinoka moved onto the next person. Or in this case, one of the robots.

"So, how was your weekend?" Hinoka continued as she gave the robot a look. But the robot didn't respond. If anything, it was just ignoring her. So she gave it a tap. Still no response from the toy.

"You're silly." one of the kids announced, their eyes always seeming to be on their toys rather the person talking. Which was quite rude, if you asked us. But what do I know about children. Not much, to be honest with you. Almost like they were all zombies or something. Oh wait, one of them looks like they are. Sorry about that.

With this activity going nowhere,

"So, who's ready for math then?" Rose announced and got a bunch of blank looks in return. So they had to drag them all over to their seats, making sure to put the pencil in hand. "Would anyone like some help on the assignment?"

Still no answer.

"I'm not sure what we're doing wrong." Hinoka whispered as they watched the robots the kids brought in roll on over to their respective master. While the sound of pencils moving could be heard, it was highly unlikely that they were actually doing math. Instead, they were probably doodling something. Neither teacher was quite sure what exactly.

But whatever the case, the two kept a close watch on it. There was nothing worse than being caught off guard on something like this.

"Pencils up, class." Hinoka explained and watched their students comply. Then she walked around the table, scooping up the loose papers and bringing them to her desk. While Rose did sneak a look at them. It wasn't enough to really make heads or tails out of any of it.

Now it was now storytime. Which meant reading and stuff.

"Who wants to hear about the adventures of Tabil the Flying Gerbil?" Rose announced, possibly in the hopes that the children would actually listen to them. Fat chance. That would mean putting in effort, which as we've seen so far, these kids lack right now. And don't seem willing to gain it back in the slightest. Which is quite a shame.

Though, Despair was listening at least. So they had an audience of one for the moment. But when you consider she's their niece and all, that isn't saying much.

Whatever the case, the two teachers got into their comfy chairs. They took the form of swivel chairs. I think rocking chairs would be better here. Even if they aren't as comfortable to sit in. Just would help with the aesthetic and you can put blankets on them too.

Our suggestion sadly went unanswered. A head shake would do here.

"There once was a gerbil named Tab-"

Rose wasn't even allowed to finish that sentence, since one of the robots decided that they would fire their lasers off at her. Which forced the noble and the sorceress to put the book down and deflect the attack to someplace safer. In this case, that was the sink. Which we guess makes sense? Out a window might be a slightly better option in this situation. Oh wait. All the windows are locked down right now. That wouldn't work in this situation. I guess out the door? No, that could hurt someone. And we don't want that either. So I guess you're in the clear for that.

"Good to know." Hinoka whispered, letting her focus turn to Rose. "You think you can handle them?"

Rose gave a nod. While she wasn't entirely what they were dealing with at the moment, they could get to the bottom of this problem. Solving it was a far different story for the pair.

"I hope to at least." the noble answered and made her way over to one of the kids. "If you don't mind me asking, where did you get that robot?"

But the kid didn't answer. Instead, they decided the best course of action was to get up onto the table and attempt to headbutt the teacher. Because you know, that sounds appropriate for this environment. So Rose did the natural thing in this situation - she took a deep breath and carefully restrained the child. Then she took him off the table and placed him on the floor. Mostly for safety

Before you go shouting on 'oh he's just a kindergartener or something, you shouldn't be restraining him', he just headbutted a fucking teacher. That's not something you're going to take lying down. But at the same time, this needs to be done with a certain level of finesse. This was seen as the cue to have all the robots begin firing on both teachers. Which was an awful thing to attempt on the pair.

"Stand down." Hinoka order as she began charging up a spell. "You do not want to push either of us."

But the students weren't quite in a listening mood. If anything, they were in the mind to test their luck to the farthest extreme. Of course, it would seem that they had gone all in on junk hands and cashed out, being forced to watch their new toys explode right in front of them. Though, that doesn't answer where they even got them in the first place. Oh well.

_Hunt Complete!_

With the toys now destroyed, whatever grip that had been held over the children seemed to fade away. In its place, were smiles and grins. Even the kid who got restrained seemed alright. Though, he was probably was a little confused by what had just gone down.

"Whoo." both Hinoka and Rose whispered, giving each other a high five. Then they let their attention return to their students. "Now class, are you ready to begin?"

This time, almost all the hands went up.

"Much better." Rose explained and motioned for the students to follow. Hopefully, they would be able to turn the day around after all that. Though overall, lunch passed without a second thought. While they hadn't brought anything in the way of sustenance, they joined their puils in the time-honored

and PE was kind of a bore. I was expecting it to be more action packed and stuff. Though, they should really ban Rose from playing dodgeball. For spending so much time trying to be the perfect noble, she could totally be a pitcher for baseball.

"I heard that."

Well it's true. Especially when you managed to knock down nearly half the team with a single throw. Sure, Chaos could probably do that, but you? We had no clue.

"Uh… thanks?"

With that, it was free time for those who completed their work and work time for those that hadn't. They got far less resistance this time around, which allowed for everyone to finish and get to experience free time together. Which meant toys and what remained of the robots getting to participate all sorts of unique games. For better or worse. Of course, that would eventually come to an end.

"Ready for the conference?" Hinoka whispered and got a nod from Rose in return. They pushed two of the tabled together and moved some chairs over. "Wait. Do we know how's parents are even coming?"

Rose walked over to their desk and rustled some of the papers about, coming upon the one she was looking for.

"Here we go." she answered and showed her wife the paper. "Someone by the name of Ryouma?"

Wait. That can't be right. You're technically them. Unless… Yeah, that makes perfect sense. I guess that means you're no longer a part of him. So that argument won't work. You might want to strategize right now.

"Strategize wh-"

Before Hinoka could finish that sentence, a silver-haired man made his entrance. He was even dressed in that stupid zipper suit of all things. That might be a little bit too business casual if you ask us.

"I'm Ryouma." he muttered, as what looked to be a gabumon rip-off to follow right behind. "I'm Junko's father."

So that means the wolf is somehow her mother?

"May- No comment."

Rose took a deep breath as she and Hinoka sat themselves down. Their guests did the same, just with a little trouble.

"So what is it that you wanted to talk to us about, Mr Ryouma?" Rose inquired as what looked to be a book was flung her way. She dodged to the left and pulled her string out. "Don't even think of trying to test us. We've already had one incident today, let's not make it two."

Their opponent just chuckles. I guess a friendly warning isn't enough here to dissuade this kind of crazy.

"You dare to call me weak?" Ryouma snarled and pulled what looked to be a xros loader out. "I'll show who's the weak one here."

**Psychemon! Super Evolve!**

**Psychemon super evolve too… Astamon!**

Unlike Rose's, this one was a much more manageable height. Which made it a whole lot easier to just get up behind him and get to the neck. Gravity did the rest of the work here.

"Let go of him." Ryouma screeched and got a look from Hinoka in return. A swing from her staff followed.

"You attacked Miss Rose, then you just magically expect us to take this lying down?" she whispered, her outfit changing to that when she fought Diableomon. It felt kind of surreal for Rose to see it again, not that she minded. It would just need a revamp to make it less childish and fit her far better.

"Oh, so a magical girl coming to destroy me?"

Instead of going for a spell or perhaps her staff again, Hinoka shot her a wife a look. Rose just shook her head.

"Miss Rose wishes for you to live." she muttered as the two watched their opponent take a deep breath.

"Fine then." Ryouma muttered as he went to grab his partner, giving them a look on the way out. "Keep on living and stuff."

It's something, I'll give him that.

"Ready to go?" Hinoka whispered as they put the table and chairs back, getting a nod in return. Like their entrance, they exited before we could even describe the hallway. Oh well.

Back outside, they found Mai and Tricera waiting. They looked to be mostly in good spirits. How Tricera even managed to survive a full day is beyond me.

"HI mommies!" Mai announced and hugged both of her parents. "I'm even in my ballet stuff now!"

Both Rose and Hinoka looked their daughter over, finding her to have forgone her sundress and skip straight to her leotard, tights and tutu. Oh and don't forget her ballet slippers.

"What are we going to do with you?" Hinoka explained and picked Mai up. The walk to the train station came right after, with a just as long train ride. Then it was off to ballet.

"Have fun!" Hinoka announced as they watched her head on inside. "Ready to play space explorers?"

Rose nodded.

The walk back passed quite quickly. Once at home, they rushed towards their bedroom and opened the closet. An outfit change followed, with the duo donning their space suits.

"Ready for this?"

She got a nod as they strapped their blasters to their side.

**Rose is winner! Winner 2 of 3!**

I guess this is the point we say goodbye to you two. Do your best, don't let anyone get you down and no matter what, accept change.

"We will." Rose answered, cracking a smile and giving a wave. Hinoka did something similar as the feed cut out. Which gave us just enough time to see them get ready for the next voyage of their now unnamed ship.

.

'Can I ask you a question?' Chaos signed and got a deep breath in return.

"Shoot." Sachiko answered.

She got a mimed deep breath, with the white mage's attention returning to her wife right after. While what she was about to ask was kind of weird, it was something that she had put some thought.

'Would you be fine if I took a part time job at the Plush Cafe?'

The geomancer's gaze shifted to the floor. While the flower shop had been her idea, it did make it look like a bit of an asshole moment in that regard.

"Personally, I would be fine with you pursuing such an option." she explained and looked towards her wife, finding her cradling the gorgon plush from the other day. A hug from the geomancer followed right after, right as they were dropped right into the abyss. Huh. Wasn't expecting that to happen.

* * *

Notes:

As for who exactly Despair, you'll have to wait for the bonus. Sorry about that.

Outside of that, we have Whip and her wyvern Yelena from my D&D stuff because I like them and stuff. Please don't kill me.

.

On our final date: End of how we began this story - with two girls.


	94. Final Date: Me and Cho

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Ai's eyes slowly opened up.

Or would they be lenses? Is there even really a difference to begin with? I guess really doesn't matter in this particular instance.

Whatever the case, she and Cho have found themselves in an unknown place. Probably the result of the last two time shifts occurring. Or maybe this was its own separate thing.

While the nekoroid herself had gotten quite used to the constant time shifts, she sometimes wished they didn't start out so disorienting. Especially in the case of this instance.

Currently, Ai found herself laying in what looked to be a void of sorts. A bluish black sky hung overhead with a transparent floor at her feet. Thankfully, Cho was at least beside her.

"Ugh…" she whispered and took the time to look herself over. While all her body was still in the same general nekoroid state as before, she had managed to switch outfits mid-teleport or something. Now, the trapper was dressed in what looked to be a nekoroid-sized dress. It was of course pink. Except it had a bunch of purple accents to boot. Her collar hung around her neck, with both tags to boot. "I guess this works."

While the nekoroid suit did serve as a layer of 'clothes', it was kind of alright to just have the collar on and nothing else. Maybe she ran to their cafe and then blacked out again on the way back? That would work, there's just one small thing. The Plush Cafe was nowhere in sight at the moment. Which seems to be a running theme so far with these last couple chapters. It would be cool when this is all said and done for our three heroes to actually meet up for one last time. You know, for old times sake. It would be a nice way to conclude everything nicely.

Pretty please. We won't ask for much more? We promise.

Of course, the trapper wasn't really listening to either of us. Which, fair enough. I doubt I would be listening to the things coming out of my mouth at the moment.

No, she had sat herself up and was in the process of waking her wife back up. Sort of like if it was a normal day for the pair. Well, whatever can called normal here.

"Cho~" Ai cooed and watched her wife slowly rouse from her slumber. She sat up, turning her attention to the trapper. "Morning."

Cho cracked a smile as gave Ai a slight pat on the head. It looked like it felt quite nice. Not that we can really do that at the moment. Since we're falling and st

"Morning to you too, Sugar." the baker answered and they both stood up. For this particular occasion, she was dressed in a purple shirt and jeans combo. Though, I think you two should at least switch outfits. "Really?"

Yeah. It's pretty clear you can probably rock that dress and would nice to see Ai in something that isn't pink.

But all that got us was a look. In that case, Cho can at least put on her collar. Then you'll sort of be matching. Please?

This request went over far better. Cho slipped it on. After, she let her gaze focus on her wife.

"What do you think?" she whispered, getting a thumbs-up in return. Her cheeks turned pink as a deep breath follows. "I guess this is possibly the end of our journey or something?"

Ai gave a nod. Though, it was a bit on the reluctant side. While I doubt they've gotten to see what we been treated too, I guess they know one way or another that the writing is on the walls. For better or worse, this is the end of this story. And yet, I get the feeling that our end is not a purgatory. Maybe it's more of a full-on restructuring, the sort that occurs when things need to change and shifted about in such a way that things are uniform without giving up what made them unique hopefully. And then what the dust settles, new stories can be formed. Maybe with less and/or the same amount couples to start off with and then more come in later. Whatever the case, our two heroes must head onward.

"You ready for this, Cho?" Ai called out, bear trap already in hand. Her attention turned to the baker, finding a different halberd from her usual one. Even compared to that original weapon, this one seemed to have a purplish tint to it with a pink diamond embedded in the axe head. "Switching it up, are we?"

Cho let out a chuckle, carefully setting the weapon at her side.

"You could say that, Sugar." she answered as the ground below the pair shatter on, revealing what appeared to be a big evil nudist dark angel thing. How exactly they were hiding that we're not entirely certain. Though, I wonder what happened to the girl that gave Ai her digivice? Is she possibly in there? That's a possibility. Of course we're also here, the narrators. Uh… maybe just ignore us? This hasn't happened in quite some time. "Fair enough."

We will shout out encouragement and stuff. If you don't mind. Here's our first batch of it.

You can do this! We believe in you guys!

With that, Chaos finally turned into her Chaosana form. She shifted her wife's position and soared into the air, deciding to flutter in place for the moment. As tempting as it might be to engage and end this particular bout in a matter of seconds. But they were here to observe. Which in this case, meant getting to watch the pair air 'skate' as they descended down to what looks to be the final resting place for this world. Though now, it was Cho riding Ai. Since you know, difference in speed and stuff.

"Die." the nudist angel announced and launched forth its first round of feathers and tentacles. "Go away!"

"What's our plan?" Ai whispered as she tried to keep track of the incoming attacks. While there was a pattern to this creature, it had a bit on randomness to it.

"I was going aim for the head, Sugar." Cho shouted back. "Unless you got a better idea."

The trapper flings a bear trap out in the general area of the creature's feet.

"We could try and wrap their tentacles." she suggests and shakes her head right after. While that sounded like a great idea, that seemed like it would just result in them getting dizzy and/or being crushed by this creature. Whatever it might possibly be. Not that either of have that much of a clue. It's probably some sort of demon gone horribly wrong. Though, a just as likely explanation could possibly come for the start of their adventure. Do you by any chance remember that girl who gave you your digivice, Ai?

"Kind of." Ai whispered and closed her eyes for a brief moment. While the memories of her first day as a hunter were a tiny bit fuzzy, she could still clearly remember that day and the person who had shown up at her door.

Pale and broken, Meiko had been unlike anyone she had seen before. Heck, there wasn't really anyone like her. Which made it kind of a shame to have to do this. "This is what remains of her, isn't it?"

Correct. Kind of a shame. No matter where she seems to go, misfortune seems to follow like a powerful magnet. She could use a hug.

They reach the ground right after. Not that there was really a thud. It was more of a soft 'bonk' as Cho launched forth fireballs in their opponent direction. That harmlessly bounced off, not even alerting the beast to their location.

So Ai came to a stop. Quite close to the beast, it was a sight to truly behold. Of course, striking it from the air had probably been a better idea.

"Yeah…" she whispered and got a head pat in return. After, her attention was back on her wife. "You got this one?"

The baker nodded, being caught by complete surprise as Ai dashed towards the creature and jumped into the air. What followed, was Cho being flung right onto their opponent. While she climbed up, Ai patiently paced around the beast.

In the end, it was victory for the weapon as Cho slid on down to the solid surface. Though, the face of the monster was revealed and it promptly realized what it had done in the first place.

It began to shrink down quite quickly, shaking about in a mix of grief and anger towards itself. When it was finally small enough to be 'human-sized', they collapsed to the ground and shattered into digital data. A shame, but freedom from this punishment is good enough for her.

Then Cho got back on her wife, getting a nod in return.

, not at all noticing our heroine's outfits changing. Gone was Ai's dress and Cho's pants and shirt. Replacing them was just a the skirt part of a gown for the nekoroid, while her partner had gotten a jumpsuit of sorts. You know, to make her look like a wannabe mecha pilot.

"Cool." Cho remarked as a thought came to her. "Sugar, can I ask you an honest question? If you don't know, it's alright."

Her remark caught the trapper by surprise. But nonetheless, she gave a nod.

"Are you hollow in there by any chance, Sugar?"

The question rolls off her tongue, getting her a confused look in return. Which is completely understandable.

A head shake follows.

"Probably not." Ai answered and attempted to concentrate. Nothing happened. Though that does raise the question of maintenance of a nekoroid. While I'm not entirely sure how Chacha designed (one version as a suit, the other as a full-on robotic body), there has to be some differences. "If it just were a suit, I think I would've gotten it off by now."

Cho nodded, only to dig through her suit. Eventually a flash drive comes out and the baker slowly approaches the trapper.

"Hold still, Sugar." she explained and watched her wife's gaze focus on the usb in her hands. While it was kind of a late last minute present on her part (in between the cafe opening and the whole mess with the bank), this was the best she could come up with for the moment. "This might hurt for a second."

She got a nod as the area around Ai's breasts slid open. She inserted the device and watched Ai's eyes go blank for a brief moment, then return to their normal color. A part of Cho wonders what her mother saw the first time she laid eyes on the trapper. Was it truly love? Or was it something darker? If she had to take a guess based off her own memories, she would go with the latter. It hurt to an extent. Just how willing had she been back in those days to reach her goals? It probably been over a boy or something. Revenge in some regard. Things were different then. But that was the past.

Now, she had someone to help her face own demons. A woman that accepted her for the person she was now rather than the woman she had been in the past.

"You alright there?" Ai inquired and broke Cho free from her monologue. Probably for the best I might add. Carefully, she pulled the USB stick back out from her body and handed it over to Cho. "What exactly was that supposed to do?"

She got a deep breath, followed by a smile.

"I grabbed the code that I had written up to replace Morva's old code." the baker explained and got a hug in return. "It was the least that I can do."

After, the duo's attention turned to what was above them. As it turned out, the entire earth was above them.

"Huh…" Ai whispered as the duo looked up. While they were enjoying themselves, the world was slowly making its way back down. "Uh… Should we worried about being crushed to death?"

Chaos shook her head

'I doubt it,' the white mage started, only for our pair below to make their way towards a spot that didn't look like it would get them crushed. Which, fair enough. Though, that did mean that we have to move as well.

It's weird seeing all 'our' work laid out like this. The digital world is long gone now. Now, the kingdom of Ciber has taken over it's function for the moment. Europe and India is now in the hands of the Arcana's, who are actually doing a banner job on it. Though, we're not quite sold on the name. They're calling that area Branaka. Of course, it wasn't our job to name it. Our's was to come up with a proper name for this place. No, world. As for what is, you're probably asking? That's a secret to everyone. For now at least.

"Halt."

Cho's attention shifted to what was ahead, finding herself and Ai staring down what looked to be a new woman of all things. Draped in a white dress, a high tech visor covered the entire upper half of her head. Their left arm was covered with a gauntlet, their right was marked in golden ink - 'Celestial'. A set of four 'feathery' wings hung out from the woman's back, with a pair of heels fused into the feet itself.

"Hello, Ai Hokkai." the woman greeted, kneeling down in front of the trapper. "It is quite an honor to meet an alternate me. Would've preferred to see your human state, but beggars can't be choosers."

Ai took a deep breath. As it cool as it was to be meeting an alternative version of herself, something seemed odd about it.

"So your name is 'Celestial' then?" she answered, getting a nod in return. "So, where's your Cho then?"

Celestial looked away and muttered something to herself. Though, I wonder what Rie and Rose look like exactly? Now that I would like to know.

That got us a look away from our main pair. Which, sorry about that. That wasn't our intention in the slightest. We were just speculating on their part.

"That's... uh, complicated to answer at the moment." Celestial explained, letting out a sigh right after. "You know how I sort of represent the bright light?"

Ai gave a nod and the duo found themselves staring down an angelic lance. I guess you have been challenged to a fight.

"Show me the strength of your bonds." Celestial announced and got a pair of nods in return.

**Huǒ (Fire)!**

Cho let a ball of flames form in her hand as Ai flung out a couple of bear traps. While the initial devices didn't quite reach their targets, they forced the wannabe angel to keep her attention between two different opponents.

That wasn't enough to stop the barrage of spear thrusts heading towards them. So, Cho flung Ai up above and dodged as best she could without use of her beloved haste. Especially with the drawback, it's probably best to wait on.

But, it would seem that you have another guest. But that's just judging by they portal that just appeared.

"Crud." Celestial muttered as her focus shifted away from her opponents. Which provided them with a perfect opportunity for it to rain down bear traps and fireballs. Which looked like they were doing some damage. But then they saw who had joined them,

Unlike the first woman, this lady appeared to have gone for a devil look. Her outfit consisted of absolutely nothing, bringing the attention to the lack of eyes and the curved horns. Red covered her body, with her large jiggling breasts trying their hardest to take the attention from the purple tattoo on her left arm - 'Archfiend'. She seems like a wonderful person, especially with a sulfur smelling coming off of her.

"There you are, Spice!" Archfiend announced, only to notice the original pair staring at them. "Hi there, can I interest you in a bit of a fun time~"

Great. Now there trying to flirt with you gals. Maybe even get some sex out of this too. Please don't. There are certain boundaries that we would prefer not to be crossed. This being one of them.

That warning just added more fuel to the fire. Mostly because it brought an additional third party to this test of strength and bonds our main pair show or something. Unlike her ex (well, they might be a couple with a weird relationship), she brought a whip. That was covered in spikes. Don't get hit.

"Thanks for that?" Ai remarked and stepped to the side, just getting missed by the large spikes on the rope. Especially as she got back onto solid ground

"Oh come on now." Archfiend continued, flashing a wink towards our two narrators as they tried to avoid the large things on her chest. It was more a gift to Celestial. "I just want a kiss from my beloved. Is that really too much to ask from you, Spice?"

Celestial took a deep breath, muttering something to herself. She made a quick glance towards her normal counterparts, only to focus back in on Archfiend. To some extent, the angelic superhero possibly despised her arch-nemesis. At the same time, there seemed to be a deep bond between the two in the off time. Not that either would be willing to admit it. Yet, their lips met for what looked to be the first time in what was quite a while. You try to keep business out of your casual life, it has a tendency to sneak it's way back in.

"Are you happy now?" Celestial answered and got a nod of sorts from Archfiend. "Then lets us head back. Maybe then you'll have a chance at corrupting me. Or we could cuddle in our off-time."

That got Archfiend's attention, especially when a portal appeared for the two go through appeared. All while Ai and Cho watched on.

"Nice to see there are other versions of us, right Sugar?" Cho whispered and got a nod from Ai. Which also signaled the next costume change for the pair. Gone was the strange skirt thing for Ai, getting replaced by a leotard top with a skirt. Her heels were now out as her paws displayed a pair of holographic high heels. Which I guess is a mix of existing features and ones added in with Cho's firmware update.

Adding to the outfit, was the short leather gloves and the bow on her back. But no arrows to speak of. Which is kind of a shame.

Cho on the other hand, lost her jumpsuit. Instead, she got a set of armor it place of it. Which allowed for use of her halberd.

"I'm guessing I'm a ranger, then?" Ai whispered as she took in her wife's outfit. "Would that make you a berserker then?"

A shrug, followed by Cho giving both of their outfits another look. While it would seem that the theme was rpg-styled classes, that didn't explain why they needed to give Ai a bow of all things. Did they forget that she had retractable claws? Which was on top of the stupid bow. How the heck did they expect her to ride her wife and stuff.

"I guess?" she answered and grabbed the bow off of Ai's back, flinging it off to the side. Then she got on. I guess the armor is extremely light or something? "I think that's better."

A nod as a witch dressed in purple floated down on a broomstick. A similarly dressed woman in pink followed right behind, trying to hide the fact that she was wearing a wedding band and totally ready for some fun times. But first, they must face down our heroines or something. Hard to really know with these magical girls.

This one is probably going to hurt for you two, isn't it? I guess there was only room for one lesbian magical girl group among the many other groups of lesbians in this multiverse. Like seriously, how the fuck did we manage that? Even then, it's just as likely there's a bunch of heterosexual couples that aren't getting as much love.

"We're sorry about this, Cure Miracle and Magical!" Ai announced and took a deep breath. While it was cool to meet her idols and stuff (especially after getting to dress up as them), it was a different story to beat them up. So for the moment, she made her bear traps return to her. "This might hurt a bit."

But neither legendary witch answers. Instead, they pull out their magic wands that look like they can be passed off as very large sex toys. Oh wait. We already made that joke. Hmm… Never mind then.

"No need. Just fight us." Cure Magical explained and cracked a smile right after. "This is your last hurrah. Have some fun!"

Her companion nodded in agreement. Following that, the duo charged towards our heroes. Ai sidestepped to to the right and tried to use her claws. It wasn't that successful.

"Want to switch?" Ai whispered and felt Cho jump down. While it was a long shot, she was fairly certain that this might make some level of difference. What followed, was the trapper getting on the baker's back. Memories of their first time surged through their heads, a weird sense of nostalgia to be having at the moment. We won't

"Bring it then!" Cho answered and dashed forward, flinging up her passenger into the air. Well that didn't last long. This was somehow Ai's cue to fling her bear trap out. Followed by the jacks. You thought they were just going to be for that one opening gag and never come up again. Nope! They were Ai's secret weapon all along. We think, at least.

"I wouldn't quite say that…" the trapper whispered, magnetizing her tiny projectiles just in case she would need to pick them up for a second volley. Of course, their opponents weren't in footwear that could actually get such a toy stuck in. Which makes it less of a secret weapon and more of an unintentional hinderance. That's probably why they haven't been really used since the first chapter. I guess that's understandable.

In return, both witches took a swing at Cho. All that got them was a poke with the halberd, followed by the snapping down of the bear trap. Which looked quite painful now that we think about it. Uh… sorry about this for any potential precure fans here. We don't mean any harm to the few of you who like Maho Girls. Whatsoever. We're just as big fans as well. This just was a cool fight and stuff. Don't hold it against us. Please?

Eventually, the halberd managed to knock the two back far enough that the bear trap could actually do its job.

"Thanks for that." the girls explained and made their exit along with all the other magical girls. Who I guess were all waiting for a moment like this to exit together. Have fun, you gals. Do continue being yourselves or something.

Because fun fact, the entire precure franchise exists in the same space as the digimon franchise. You can blame the director of tamers for that one. And that's the truth somehow. Even if it does sound absurd. Though, that's without getting into the possibility of Maki and Daigo being reincarnated.

We got a bunch of blank stares for that remark. Which is understandable. What we're claiming is sounding like complete crazy. Except it's really simple. Not that this is the place we should be debating the merits of a fan theory. Especially as you two go through another outfit change.

Gone was the rpg gear, having been replaced with more casual outfits. Which took the form of a hoodie dress with a cat ear hood for Ai and a shirt and skirt for Cho. Simple stuff to fight whatever is coming their way.

"Good to know." Ai whispered as the duo glanced up towards. Currently, they had managed to get to the one part of japan that had survived Ordinemon's initial attack. Of course, this wasn't going to stop the large landmass that was hurtling down to take the place of the rest of the world. No, it was moving quite a bit faster now. Possibly so it could ready in time for other things and other plots.

Though, neither I or Sachiko can actually think of any such ones that could be occurring at the moment. Though, feel free to correct us if we're wrong, author.

But no response seemed to come through. So we might be good for the moment. Especially since Yggdrasil has decided that now was as good of a time as any to show their face. Or lack of one. I think someone should totally give it one.

'No.' Chaos muttered and shot Sachiko a quick glance. 'Yes, it would be really funny. But I personally don't want to die.'

She got a nod for that.

"Fair enough." Sachiko responded as the two watched Ai and Cho run up the side of the gargantuan robot enclosure thing. Well, I think that's what it is. All so the duo could take halberd swings and claw scratches at the head.

Eventually, they actually managed to reach out and strike the weak point on their opponent. It didn't look too satisfying. Which resulted in something similar to what happened with Ordinemon. Except instead of shattering into digital data, just the hull broke and revealed the crystal humanoid held within.

They don't look too happy. Though, expecting them to be was probably too much. At least it's not the usual subjects?

All that got us was a look.

"Can we do this without punching?" the being announced and gave both girls a look. "The last person who saw me like this proceeded to beat the living shit out of me."

After, he deposited a quarter into a jar that just appeared. Then the jar disappeared. Good to see that some version of those two numbskulls made out alive. Probably the magical girl version. They seemed most likely in this weird world that's being created right before our eyes. Whatever the case, it was onto the next challenger. Which was Homeostasis. Who else were you expecting? A succubus dancer? A slimegirl? Oops. Wrong game. Sorry about that.

Both Chaos and Sachiko looked up towards the sky.

'What the fuck are you even talking about?' Chaos answered as she checked her phone for something. After, her attention returned to the fight below. "Can't be that many more left."

Sachiko closed her eyes, possibly as a way to remember things better. Whether or not it was effective is beyond me.

"The queen of dolls. And that's without dealing with the appli monster crew." Sachiko added as Homeostasis decided that it was not going to have any of this right now. Which fair enough. Not everyone can go around mindfucking brunettes.

"That isn't what I do." Homeostasis countered, as Ai and Cho focused in on her. Currently, we find the neutral dressed in one of Kari's shirts. Which raises a number of questions that I didn't need to know about. "Shit."

Care to explain where that came from?

"No comment."

They made their exit right after, bringing the next outfit change for our pair. Except it was just their business outfits from the bank. Just none of the hairstyle and stuff. Well, unless there some holographic tech in there you showed off at some point.

Ai concentrated once more, making her body appear like it had once been. If only for a moment. Personally, I prefer the nekoroid form. Which means disengaging the illusion or something.

"At least we know that this fits." Ai whispered as they watched the appli drivers and their appmon appear. Thankfully, there in a better mood.

"Not again." Haru announced as he got Gaiamon ready. "Let's make this quick."

His attention focused on their opponents. He was possibly had no clue what the heck was going on at the moment. Especially as his friends were getting their god level appmon ready. Might want to defuse this real fast.

"Sorry about this." Cho whispered, pulling her weapon back. She then charged forward and delivered a slight blow to each. All while Ai threw out some bear traps. It was more of a deterrent to those that dared to make a move. "We have to beat you or something."

I think they needed to be gotten rid of or something like that. Probably just turn into magical girls or a troupe of cheerleaders. Or perhaps a troupe of magical girl cheerleaders. Now that I would pay to see a show on.

"Could work as a precure team, maybe." Ai remarked as her eyes focused on something ahead. If you don't mind us asking, how much of that protective layer affects your vision? "Uh…"

It's alright if you don't know.

"Might be something to think about in the future." Cho remarked as she focused on the same general as her wife. While a costume change did occur, it was back to the outfits they had at the start of the chapter. Boo.

Which brings us to the Queen of Dolls.

Who were not at all happy with the way things were going. They didn't want to get crushed by the incoming landmass. Sadly. That's their presumed fate. For this fight, they had gone for a gothic lolita ensemble. Which meant a full-on cute vs goth fight. I guess that was to be expected at the end of all this.

"Just me." the queen of dolls announced and charged towards the duo. "End me."

But they refused. Instead, Cho carefully knocked her to the ground. In a way, this all felt unsatisfying. Which described the queen of dolls perfectly. Who was she? I don't know. Why is she doing this? Revenge? Frustration with the world? Maybe? Heck if we even know.

"Shut it."

Why should we? You given us no reason to believe that you are really a threat. Just a joke. You could give us a reason.

"Sex."

Oh god. Please don't tell you're going where I think you're going. Especially if this involves adult activities in some fashion.

"Security. Tested, aweful. Defeat, but won."

Ai and Cho give a nod, sort of following this. Which is the least they can do with truly tacked on info dump.

"Is that it?" Ai inquired and got a nod. "So you lost but at the same time... won?"

The queen of dolls nodded, letting her face twist into a smile. She seemed kind of smug.

"In-fighting and struggles. Created both of you."

Wait. Did her speech pattern change? I guess her mood changed or something. Which is either a good or bad thing.

"Let me guess. Morva's scheme or something?" Cho added and watched their opponent nod. After, they held their hands out and brought forth at least one battalion of little dolls. Which got it raining jacks again. That was surprisingly effective. Especially since to dolls, those looked like landmines to be wandered around. A perfect opportunity for Cho to get them all in one swoop. "Uh, sorry about all of that."

The queen of dolls just shakes her head.

"Bound to happen." she mutters as both women reach her. A single strike followed, with their opponent falling to the ground. Then they faded away from the world. Of course, this brought another outfit change. Strangely, this was for outfits from the very start of the fic. Which meant that stupid complicated to describe outfit for Ai and a just as complicated outfit for Cho. While she got a pastel pink t-shirt and a matching pair of pants. Except there was also matching fingerless gloves and boots. If we didn't know better, probably would've thought you were a Mimi cosplayer.

One more opponent then made their entrance. Scratch part of that. Make that two opponents.

"Really, that's us? There not even that cute." a voice announced as what looked to be a girl dressed in pink walked up. Mind you, a different shade of pink from Cho. An opossum floating from some balloons followed right behind, her gaze entirely focused on their partner. "Make this quick."

Her partner nodded and flung out a couple balloons. While easily dodged by the pair, the explosions were a different story. So Ai got more bear traps at the ready as Cho set her halberd on her back.

"How dare you waste the truly wonderful and amazing Airu's time! This was going to be the perfect moment for a little kiss!" the opossum screeched as her balloons reappeared. More explosives followed, these coming from 'Airu'. You just had to make this difficult to keep track of didn't you?

While that was happening, Cho shot her wife a glance.

"Was I like that at one point, Sugar?" she whispered and got a head shake in return. Though, I'm fairly certain you had a lot more constraint back then. Considering this version of you looks to be fated to become a yandere, that isn't saying much. "Good to know."

They let their attention return to the opponents.

"Eat this!"

A net came their way, snipping Ai. An electric current followed and just charged her up even more. I'm not sure what their line of thinking is. Especially since Ai is clearly a robot.

"Hey! She's still learning." the opossum remarked, her gaze focused more on Airu rather than Ai and Cho. "And she's so lovely too…"

Ai shot her wife a glance, she got a nod in return.

"Then why don't you ask her out on a date then?" the trapper suggested and caught their opponents by surprise. It was if such an opportunity sounded alien and just silly, like precure ever having a bad season.

"Why? There's no way we could legitimately get away with such a cute idea." Airu countered and watched both women shake their heads.

"In a few years your time, Japan will start allowing same-sex marriages in certain wards. Once you're of age, maybe give it a try?" Ai suggested and watched both of their opponents perk up. "If by the time that rolls and you still love each other then as you do now, then maybe go through with it."

That got them a nod and Airu picking the net off of Ai. After, they made their exit. Which prompted Ai to run over to her wife.

"We did it, Sugar." Cho whispered as Ai reached her. Right as the world slipped into place.

_Hunt Complete! Ai and Cho is winner! Winner 3 of 3!_

"Whoo!" Ai whispered, letting a smile hang on her face as she pulled her wife in. One more kiss followed, lasting what felt like an eternity to them. It was more like a couple of seconds. But were not really counting at the moment.

_**Story Complete!** _

_**Thanks for playing!** _

"Ready to head back to the plush cafe, Cho?" the trapper continued.

Cho gave a nod.

"Of course, Sugar~" the baker answered and they headed off towards their cafe, ready to serve the next round of customers.

Which makes this the end of the story. Thank you for reading. I guessing we can at least tell you the name that we came up with. In retrospect, it's kind of corny and a bit silly. But we think that's alright.

'Welcome to Neo Digia.' Chaos explained and shook her hands, ready to finish this up and open up a door to this new possibility. Which doesn't explain why her lips were moving. I guess she was miming what she was saying? That sounds about right. 'We do hope you enjoy your stay.'

.

A couple months have passed since our heroes victory, bringing peace and overall, tranquility for the moment. Which brings us to our current situation of our currently off narrator at a familiar cafe.

Sachiko stood at the door, debating her options.

"This is it." she thought and smoothed her kimono out. While Chaos had been a shoe-in for this sort of position, the anticipation of finally getting what her final look even was had been something that weighed heavily on the geomancer's mind.

So carefully, she pushed the door and just took the place in. While the exterior had been painted a shade of pastel pink, the interior looked much the same. Though, they probably added a couple plushies.

The current lineup appeared to be Layla, Deeana, Cia and Heart. With a special guest to round out the crew. I wonder who that might possibly be?

"Like, how may I help you?" the voice at the receptionist podium announced, drawing her in. It would appear that Deeana was currently at the podium and just tapping her fingers against the wood. "Welcome to the Plush Cafe. This like, little slice of plush paradise?"

Sachiko scanned the room. While this was the part where she was to be directed to a nearby server, something told her that she was given a free pick. So she scanned the cafe itself until she was found the person, or should I say people she was looking for.

There, Heart was helping out what looked to be a red serpent lady dressed in white and red nurse garb. Compared to most snake ladies Sachiko had seen while working her flower shop, this one had a proper set of arms and hands. Well claws, was probably the right term here. But you get the idea.

"I'll take those two." the geomancer explained and pointed to the pair. Which in turn, got a look from Deeana, then it was a look over to the pair.

"Like, of course…" she responded and Sachiko headed over. Sadly, her stealth skills were far from perfect. Didn't help that she just stumbled right in front of her chosen waitresses/playmates. What? It's true.

'You came.' the serpent explained, pulling both Heart and Sachiko. "There's something on your lips."

While Heart was used to this act, it caught our resident geomancer by surprise. Not that she pushed the snake away, instead trying her best to pull her in. Much to Heart's annoyance.

"Hey…" the dragon whispered as she broke away and let the couple have their moment. "Care to introduce yourself to that wonderful lady of yours?"

The two broke away.

After, the serpent took the time to smooth out her garment. Then she let her focus turn to Sachiko herself.

'It's Harmony.' the serpent signed and watched her wife give a nod. 'It's a bit of a challenge, but I'm enjoying it.'

A snicker.

"Enough to keep working at the flower shop?" she inquired and got a look from Heart. In retrospect, that might not have been the best remark to make when your wife is on your new job.

'Yes, silly.'

Sachiko took a deep breath, pulling something out of her kimono. Which looked to be the gorgon plush that she had given her wife.

"Someone wanted to see you." she explained and held the plush out. A bit more cuddling followed as we bring an end to the story. I do hope you enjoyed it. It's been a blast.

_**The End** _

_**F**_ D _ **r Re**_ A _ **l this Time. We Pr**_ 0 _ **mis**_ 3 _ *****_

* * *

Notes:

Thank you for reading through all of Cho & Me. It's been quite a ride, but totally worth it.

As for my next project, I think you can see something in that message. After that, something fantasy-based. Not sure what exactly.

.

Bonus Date: What happened with Mint.


	95. Bonus: Love in Control

I don't own digimon.

* * *

 

Mint

The first time I met you, it was in the flower shop.

I was manning the counter, you were browsing about.

"What can I do for you?" I had asked, letting your gaze meet mine. "Anything particular?"

"You, of course." you had answer

Your sense of humor was always odd.

Not that it pushed me away from you.

If anything it made me want you more.

I wished to exert my control over to you.

Make you mine.

Forever.

Maki

The next time I saw you, I wanted you even more.

My thoughts were filled with you.

But it would seem that your mothers had other plans.

Time shifted around both of us and we were separated.

But that didn't stop us.

We found each other again at a playground.

As children, my feelings for you were still the same.

We played like best friends.

Maybe your mothers knew the truth.

Or perhaps they had no clue at all.

Everything was a competition in our books.

Didn't matter what the activity was or what it entailed.

I want your love…

And your control.

Mint

When school reared its ugly head, I thought we would be torn apart.

But you managed to find your way back.

Our competitions continued from that point.

Sometimes you would be the winner and I would do things for you.

Other times, I would be the victor. Those were the times I really enjoyed.

Don't get me wrong.

I do enjoy being your little personal succubus, Juggles.

But you know what I enjoy even more?

Seeing you as Aki, my own catgirl pet always made things seem worth it.

But as the end of high school dawned upon us, our paths seemed ready to diverge once more.

Maki

The worst day was when we both had to say goodbye.

Neither of us wanted to say those words or let the meaning come anywhere near our lips. There were no challenges or insults.

Just pure heart-to-heart talk from two girls in love with each other.

You know, the sort of thing you would find in a cheesy sort of romantic yuri manga. The part where the main couple has to say goodbye because their love would never be accepted by society.

But this feels different.

Things seemed to be changing. Love between two women was something that was finally becoming accepted.

While there were still barriers, the wheels were in motion.

It was just a matter of time before we could be together again.

We sealed it off with a kiss and promised to one day, find each other.

Then you'll be mine.

Forever.

Maki

After graduation, we went our separate ways.

You went into Psychiatry.

Sometimes, I would look into the news to see if you had done anything of note.

But try as I might, you were always just out of my reach.

It made me want you even more.

I on the other hand, became a programmer.

Coding languages would bow to my will as I plowed through whatever assignment my employer gave me.

In my off-time, I would be thinking of you.

I would wonder where you were and what you were doing.

Sometimes, I debated if you were still thinking of me after all those years.

And then my phone rang.

I picked it up and listened.

There was only one choice in that moment.

I'm going to make you mine.

I don't care if the odds are quite against me.

We'll be like this, forever.

Mint

The most important thing to remember within all of this is that your human.

If I break you, there's a chance that you will break.

But I guess the same could be said about me to some extent.

I look upon the things on my table and crack a smile.

Things are going to be just like old times.

We'll have competitions, with punishments and rewards. I'll make you my Aki and you'll make me your Juggles.

It'll be like we picked up from the point we left off in high school.

But as the seconds tick down, my anticipation seems to build.

I will make you mine.

Forever.

Maki

I got everything.

The collar, the costume and the other miscellaneous stuff.

It's just a matter of heading in and asserting my authority.

I take first awkward steps towards the building.

Knowing her, she had gone with the most nondescript office building she could find.

It was typical of her.

Inside, the interior is as boring as the exterior.

Though, I can see a scratching post and a couple points for bondage gear to be attached too.

She always did have a way of being at least two steps ahead when came down to stuff like this.

It was the part I liked the most about her, made even better when she was dressed up as Juggles.

Now, the only thing standing between me and her love forever is just a set of stairs.

So I carefully made my way up, my stuff at my side.

At the top, I found myself not in the waiting room for an office.

Instead, I was greeted by a makeshift bedroom.

Magenta satin covers on a heart-shaped bed with a canopy overhead. A magenta wardrobe perfect for holding bondage outfits and of course, attachment points about.

"Come on in." you announced and I made my way over.

Now is my chance.

Your love will be mine.

Forever.

Mint

The moment you entered my office I knew.

Maybe you knew as well.

There was no need for small talk or hugs.

You put your gear down on my desk, opposite of mine.

"Strawberries work for our safe word?" I inquire and you just nod. "Since you are technically my guest, I'll give you first choice."

You gave a nod and look about the room. Eventually, you finally look towards me.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" you answer. "Best of three?"

I give a nod and we both stand up.

"Rock…" you start as we turn around.

"Paper…"

"SCISSORS!"

We turn around and I'm crushed, getting rock to my scissors.

The second round is in reverse, with my scissors taking down your paper with lethal efficiency.

It all came down to the final round. I was certain that one of us would come out the victor in this. But I hadn't expected you to go paper as well. It was as if our minds were in sync be we didn't even realize it at the time. That, or it was a lucky guess.

"One more round?" you whimper, already knowing the answer to that question. "Collar first, then?"

"Yep."

Carefully, we dig our respective collars out from the opposite pile. For her, I had gotten a lacy red collar with a heart tag meant more for cats than humans.

My collar though, wasn't as nice as hers. She had gotten me a purple spiked collar with a similar tag to yours.

Of course, that also means that we refer to each other not by our actual names, but by the ones we gave each other.

"It looks perfect on you, Juggles." she tells me and I blush a bright shade of pink.

"You too, Aki." I answer, watching my opponent. No, my girlfriend's face turn a similar shade to mine. "I'm guessing it's my turn then?"

She gives me a nod. After, I pull a rope out.

"Tug of war."

"I'm up to it if you are." she answers.

I crack a smile and hand her one end of the rope, with me grabbing hold of the other end.

What follows was an attempt at both of us trying to make the other fall over.

Of course, somewhere in the middle of the game, I pulled you over. Or maybe, you pulled me over to you.

Whatever it was, our lips met and we both fell over.

Aki

Another game, another punishment.

"Ears." you told me, our hands already digging into the piles we brought for each other.

For you, I had brought a set of wing-shaped ears. Like the ones that the morrigan character has. Unlike hers, these ones aren't additional accessories, but replacements for the ears itself.

Sure, I could have gotten a set of elven ears. But that wouldn't be fun, would it? Especially once I have your skin painted that beautiful shade of hot pink. Then you'll perfectly complement your purple outfits that I'll keep you in.

Of course, you seem to have a similar idea. Maybe that's why you've gone with a set of blueberry-colored cat ear headband. Carefully, we slip them on and return our attention to each other.

"One last game." I muttered and you give a nod. This would be it.

In the next couple moments, we'll decide who will own who.

But your mothers had something far different in mind in that moment.

Another time shift.

"Please don't separate us again." we both whisper to each other, letting our lustful yet loving embrace be our moment.

But when the 'smoke' settled, we were still embracing. Our accessories were still in place, with the rest of our outfits now on us. Which for you, meant a purple corset dress that was quite on the short side with matching ballet heels. For me, it meant just a blueberry fur top with complementary cat paw gloves and boots. Just barely, I can see the swaying pink demon tail tipped with a heart.

Of course, that gave you an opportunity to grab hold of mine.

"Yowch."

Juggles

We finally broke away.

"I want you." I explained. "Forever."

You let out a laugh.

"I want you too." you answer. "Forever."

In that moment, I knew. You were the one.

And as I look at you, you seem to be in the same sort of space. Which makes me want you even more.

We're going to keep each other forever.

.

"And that's how we met."

At the moment, Juggles, or Lilac as she was now called, sat in their daughter's bedroom. Aki, or Empress as she had been christened, was right beside her.

For this occasion, neither were dressed in their bondage gear. Instead, Lilac had gone with a lavender dress and matching flats that seemed to enhance her succubus body. Her wife on the other hand, had been granted the right to wear clothing for once. So here she was, dressed in a red princess gown.

"Now Despair, we need you to get dressed." Princess explained and watched the succubus-catgirl hybrid perk up, slipping out of her pajamas and into a magenta sundress. "Grandma Ai and Cho are coming today."

They made their way to the living room and sat themselves down.

"Bet you can't wait longer than I can." Lilac whispered.

"You're on." Princess whispered back.

* * *

Notes:

This was written on a car ride for some reason. It's being included because why not.


End file.
